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Like the famous Annie Edson Taylor who went off Niagara Falls in a barrel. I would like to be the first to ride out in a hurricane at least from the inside out in the air in an unpowered craft. Could a small blimp or balloon be built strong enough and hang a person from the bottom in a capsule or from inside the balloon/blimp to ride out a hurricane?

Here is a related question dealing with the sort of unpowered craft I'm thinking of: Could this bubble float with a person inside?

kingledion
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Muze
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    How is this different from the 84 year old Hurricane Hunter that has did it >500 times? – Michael Kutz Sep 09 '18 at 23:43
  • @MichaelKutz I don't understand? – Muze Sep 09 '18 at 23:45
  • @MichaelKutz Isn't that in a plane? The question asks for unpowered craft which I would assume is much more riskier because you have no control over it. – Shadowzee Sep 09 '18 at 23:57
  • Hurricane Hunters get paid to take an airplane into a hurricane for detailed readings fo NOAA's weather prediction models. How are you the first to ride through a hurricane? Why are Hurricane Hunters excluded from being "first"? – Michael Kutz Sep 09 '18 at 23:59
  • Your title needs to match your question. I changed it to match. – kingledion Sep 10 '18 at 00:00
  • @MichaelKutz yes you would be riding with the wind of the hurricane but how safe is that over the ocean in a balloon that is designed to handle it. – Muze Sep 10 '18 at 00:12
  • It almost certainly could be built, if you throw enough money at such a project you will find a way to win through, eventually, the questions really are "who is that rich and want's to try it?" and "what does it cost?" those are story elements rather than worldbuilding ones I'm afraid. – Ash Sep 10 '18 at 12:48

1 Answers1

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YES.

You'll want to model your flight on the HURR-B weather balloon which is designed to be launched within the eye of a hurricane. Once aloft, and assuming it doesn't become punctured by debris, it will spin around the eye wall until rises above the storm.

HURR-B

You probably won't want to go all the way up to 100,000 feet! But you'll certainly want to clear the storm's upper level winds, which look like they will only bring you out to the edge and then drive you back down again.

Since you don't ask about getting back safely, I could just leave it at that! But assuming you will probably want to get back in at least one piece, I'd suggest that your capsule be kitted out with a parachute and a flotation device in case you end up out at sea.

elemtilas
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