FORMER COMMERCE SECRETARY EVANS HONORED FOR FLIGHT INTO HURRICANE

Feb. 10, 2005 — Former Commerce Secretary Donald Evans left office last week with a potent reminder of his foray into Hurricane Ivan last fall aboard a NOAA P-3 "Hurricane Hunter" aircraft. He is the first Cabinet member to venture into the turbulent eyewall of a hurricane aboard a NOAA plane. The NOAA Corps pilots and navigator and civilian crew of flight engineers, meteorologists and electronics engineers from the NOAA Aircraft Operations Center who flew with Secretary Evans on September 13 recently provided him with a tongue-in-cheek certificate reserved for the brave of heart. (Click NOAA image for larger view of retired Navy Vice Admiral Conrad Lautenbacher, Ph.D., undersecretary of commerce of oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator, former Commerce Secretary Donald Evans and Rear Admiral Samuel P. De Bow Jr., director of the NOAA Commissioned Corps and NOAA Marine and Aviation Operations, during a presentation of the hurricane award. Click here for high resolution version, which is a large file. Please credit “NOAA.”)

Secretary Evans was presented with the "Native Hurricane Rovers Protective Exhaulted Order of Eyeball Penetrators" award, which states in part: "Be it known that Donald Evans has this day joined our loyal order by purposefully penetrating in fearless fashion to the very eyeball of a viscous hurricanomaxious of West Indian Origin. This selfless example of heroic devotion to the extension of scientific lore commends that which is of him remaining to your high esteem."

Ivan was third in the parade of four storms (Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne) that struck Florida during the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season within a six-week period. During the intense hurricane activity, the NOAA Aircraft Operations Center in Tampa, Fla., had the two NOAA hurricane hunters and Gulfstream IV surveillance jet constantly flying into the storms and keeping NOAA personnel literally in the air for days at a time. During this period, AOC had to evacuate its facilities while remaining operational. Secretary Evans picked the worst of the storms—a Category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale—to fly through. (Click NOAA image for larger view of NOAA meteorologist and P-3 and G-IV flight director Jack Parrish (middle) and NOAA P-3 Systems Crew Chief Sean McMillan (left) briefing Commerce Secretary Donald Evans aboard a NOAA P-3 hurricane hunter aircraft. Click here for high resolution version, which is a large file. Please credit “NOAA.”)

He proved to be an intrepid passenger, engaged with each scientist and crew member aboard the aircraft to learn how every aspect of the flight was handled. Despite the pitching and yawing of the aircraft, Secretary Evans thoroughly enjoyed the flight.

"He was like a kid in a toy store," said Lt. Cmdr. Barry Choy, NOAA Corps, who was one of the co-pilots during the flight. "He was very excited and couldn't thank us enough for taking him on the flight. Positive comments kept flying out of his mouth. We gave him a hurricane hunter hat when he got on board, and he wore it until the time he left."

Choy, who flew in three consecutive hurricanes and later received an AOC award for the most hurricane penetrations (55) during one year, was surprised at how well Secretary Evans grasped the science being conducted on board.

"For someone who did not have a science background, I was very impressed with the way he took in information and talked coherently about it. He impressed me as a Commerce Secretary, and I'm glad I had the opportunity to fly with him," Choy said.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of the nation’s coastal and marine resources. NOAA is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Relevant Web Sites
NOAA Aircraft Operations Center

NOAA Corps

NOAA Marine and Aviation Operations

Media Contact:
Jeanne Kouhestani, NOAA Marine and Aviation Operations, (301) 713-3431 ext. 220