AIM Text
- General. Hurricane Hunters from the United States Air Force Reserve 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron (WRS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Aircraft Operations Center (AOC) operate weather reconnaissance/research aircraft missions, in support of the National Hurricane Operations Plan (NHOP), to gather meteorological data on hurricanes and tropical cyclones. 53rd WRS and NOAA AOC aircraft normally conduct these missions in airspace identified in a published WRA Notice to Airmen (NOTAM).
- WRAs. Airspace with defined dimensions and published by a NOTAM, which is established to support weather reconnaissance/research flights. ATC services are not provided within WRAs. Only participating weather reconnaissance/research aircraft from the 53rd WRS and NOAA AOC are permitted to operate within a WRA. A WRA may only be established in airspace within U. S. Flight Information Regions (FIR) outside of U. S. territorial airspace.
- A published WRA NOTAM describes the airspace dimensions of the WRA and the expected activities within the WRA. WRAs may border adjacent foreign FIRs, but are wholly contained within U.S. FIRs. As ATC services are not provided within a WRA, non-participating aircraft should avoid WRAs, and IFR aircraft should expect to be rerouted to avoid WRAs.
Source: FAA Aeronautical Information Manual · current edition · paragraph 3-5-9.
Research Notes
AIM 3-5-9 covers Emergency Air Traffic Rules — § 91.139 framework for emergency airspace restrictions.
When the FAA invokes emergency rules:
- National security situations
- Large-scale natural disasters
- Major aviation incidents
- Severe weather affecting wide airspace
What they can do: Restrict, prohibit, or redirect aircraft operations. Implement special procedures, route restrictions, ground stops.
Compliance: Mandatory. Failure triggers enforcement action.