Video: Virtually, Hundreds Of Pilots Are Flying Into Hurricane Laura

With the release last week of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, hurricane hunting has turned safe and easy. Plus, we’ve got scenes from real hurricane hunters.

Isabel Goyer

Updated Aug 27, 2020 10:13 AM PDT

Flying through Hurricane Laura via Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Whether you're a pilot or not, flying into hurricanes just for the fun of it has become a thing. There are dozens of videos around the web of pilots doing just that and in a variety of different planes, all thanks, of course, to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, which comes with a live weather feature. So if there's a hurricane, a hurricane is what you get. The rendering is pretty impressive. Here's just one of them, and be forewarned that this non-pilot's flying is pretty rough.

But to get a real comparison, we also checked out the real McCoy---actual video of a hurricane hunter, a C-130J Super Hercules from the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron Hurricane Hunters, really flying into the eye of Hurricane Laura.

Isabel GoyerWriter