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Interview With Patrick Oppmann
Aired September 17, 2003 - 14:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Long before there was Doppler Radar or 3-D satellite photos, hurricane hunters jumped into airplanes and saw the big storms for themselves. Well guess what? Even with all the technology they still do.
I had the chance to fly with these guys right through Hurricane Andrew about a decade ago. And my CNN colleague Patrick Oppmann was aboard a flight into Isabel. He just got back a little while ago, he joins us live from our Miami bureau. Patrick, quite a ride, isn't it?
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN: Good afternoon, Miles. As you know it was incredible and for me some awe inspiring ride. I know Isabel has been downgraded to a Category 2 over the last few days, she still packed a punch last night and looking down 10,000 feet at some pretty amazing waves and going through the eye of Hurricane Isabel, I think we went through four times last night through the eye, we definitely felt a very strong storm.
O'BRIEN: I know you were in the cockpit in the flight deck for the eye wall penetrations, as they call it. That is an exciting thing, you find yourself getting bounced around quite a bit on an aircraft that is older than you are. I know, the crews are incredibly professional and cool. You must have had a few scary moments?
OPPMANN: I did, I was trying to shoot video and hold on, and I didn't always do both successfully. Luckily the pilots from the Air Force's 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron were very professional and kept me from making any fatal mistakes. But I did have a couple of those moments when the ground sort of disappears from underneath you.
O'BRIEN: And they're based out of Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi. They guys are all reserve visits and I've always been impressed by their dedication and courage. What was their assessment of the storm as you went through it?
OPPMANN: They over the years have flown in so many storms that they were a little nonplused. It's still a serious storm and they realized they had an important job to do because it is going to have a major effect on the Eastern seaboard. But they had certainly seen bigger and badder.
For me it seemed like about as bad as it comes. But once again for the pros, they've seen worse, but still say it's going to be a powerful storm when it finally makes landfall.
O'BRIEN: All right. Patrick, I got to ask you the most delicate of all questions. I know when you go on these missions you get the government-issued bag, shall we say. Are you in the Cast Iron Stomach Club or did you have to use it?
OPPMANN: I was last night, fortunately. I have the government -- the Air Force-issued bag for air nausea. And it comes with about a two pages of instructions on how to use. I luckily did not have to use it last night. Some of the other passengers weren't so fortunate, but we won't name names.
O'BRIEN: And hopefully they read all two pages before they used it, right?
OPPMANN: I don't think they did but they managed to figure out all the same.
O'BRIEN: All right. Certain amount common sense. Patrick Oppmann, an assignment editor normally in our Miami bureau, got quite a ride. And we appreciate your insights.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired September 17, 2003 - 14:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Long before there was Doppler Radar or 3-D satellite photos, hurricane hunters jumped into airplanes and saw the big storms for themselves. Well guess what? Even with all the technology they still do.
I had the chance to fly with these guys right through Hurricane Andrew about a decade ago. And my CNN colleague Patrick Oppmann was aboard a flight into Isabel. He just got back a little while ago, he joins us live from our Miami bureau. Patrick, quite a ride, isn't it?
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN: Good afternoon, Miles. As you know it was incredible and for me some awe inspiring ride. I know Isabel has been downgraded to a Category 2 over the last few days, she still packed a punch last night and looking down 10,000 feet at some pretty amazing waves and going through the eye of Hurricane Isabel, I think we went through four times last night through the eye, we definitely felt a very strong storm.
O'BRIEN: I know you were in the cockpit in the flight deck for the eye wall penetrations, as they call it. That is an exciting thing, you find yourself getting bounced around quite a bit on an aircraft that is older than you are. I know, the crews are incredibly professional and cool. You must have had a few scary moments?
OPPMANN: I did, I was trying to shoot video and hold on, and I didn't always do both successfully. Luckily the pilots from the Air Force's 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron were very professional and kept me from making any fatal mistakes. But I did have a couple of those moments when the ground sort of disappears from underneath you.
O'BRIEN: And they're based out of Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi. They guys are all reserve visits and I've always been impressed by their dedication and courage. What was their assessment of the storm as you went through it?
OPPMANN: They over the years have flown in so many storms that they were a little nonplused. It's still a serious storm and they realized they had an important job to do because it is going to have a major effect on the Eastern seaboard. But they had certainly seen bigger and badder.
For me it seemed like about as bad as it comes. But once again for the pros, they've seen worse, but still say it's going to be a powerful storm when it finally makes landfall.
O'BRIEN: All right. Patrick, I got to ask you the most delicate of all questions. I know when you go on these missions you get the government-issued bag, shall we say. Are you in the Cast Iron Stomach Club or did you have to use it?
OPPMANN: I was last night, fortunately. I have the government -- the Air Force-issued bag for air nausea. And it comes with about a two pages of instructions on how to use. I luckily did not have to use it last night. Some of the other passengers weren't so fortunate, but we won't name names.
O'BRIEN: And hopefully they read all two pages before they used it, right?
OPPMANN: I don't think they did but they managed to figure out all the same.
O'BRIEN: All right. Certain amount common sense. Patrick Oppmann, an assignment editor normally in our Miami bureau, got quite a ride. And we appreciate your insights.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
