Hurricane flight engineer and pilot Bill Gehrman addresses a Wheatland Center School class. /Submitted photo
Can you imagine flying right into the eye of a hurricane? That is exactly what a recent guest speaker at Wheatland Center School did for many years.
Fifth and sixth grade students were intrigued as hurricane flight engineer and pilot Bill Gehrman of Lake Geneva shared information and stories about his fascinating career. His rank as chief master sergeant in the U.S. Air Force Reserve is the highest honor of those enlisted.
Students were amazed as he explained exactly how the WC-130 enters a hurricane’s eye guided by radar and collects data. Sondes (data collection instruments for meteorologists) are dropped from the back of the plane that radio back data on temperature, humidity and winds.
Gehrman talked about the importance of reading and math should students be interested in becoming a flight engineer or pilot. His presentation was the culmination of recent science units in weather, atmosphere, and astronomy.
