VJ1

                                                                 Logo from a painting by Robert Morris


VJ1 Crew Braves Typhoon Kit
From Naval Aviation News, September 1953
contributed by Earl Beach

Guam Typhoon Buffets Plane

NAS AGANA... Winds equaling the speed of the aircraft held VJ-1 typhoon hunting Privateer within the wind stream of typhoon Kit and close to its "eye" for almost an hour.

LTCDR P. E. Kedigh, commanding officer of Weather Squadron One stationed on Guam, skipper of the mission, reported flight conditions as bad as those encountered in Hester, last season's big typhoon.

"For several short periods up and downdrafts were so severe that both pilots were on the controls," Kedigh said. "We were so busy we didn't have time up pick up the mike or to correct our altimeters with the radio
altimeter of the aerologist. After dropping to 200 feet with climbing power on, it seemed the plane never would regain its altitude. "The variation between radio and pressure altimeter frequently was more than
1600 feet."

Co-pilot Lt. B. H. White described the flight into the typhoon as the most helpless sensation I've ever been through. We ran into downdrafts at about 800 feet and kept going down. We added climbing power and pulled back but she still kept settling. Finally we hit the cushion at 200 feet.

D. J. Dennis, AGI, flight aerologist, said the original plan was for the plane to cut through the eve and out the other side. "We never did reach the eye," he explained. "Before we could get that far the wind stream around
the eye picked us up and from then on we were fighting to get out of the severe turbulence area."

Kit was the second typhoon VJ-1 has pinpointed this season, Last season it tracked 11, made 33 typhoon fixes and more than 200 weather recco flights.

Other members of the Kit flight were W.W. Melland, AD1, plane captain: B. Tiegan, PHC, chief photographer: R.I. Weyfandt, AN: J. E. Walpole, ALI: E. P. Margo, AN: R. M. Mueller, AT3, and M. R. Hampton AO3.

NAVAL AVIATION NEWS- September 1953

Saffir-Simpson Scale
The chart color codes intensity (category based on Saffir-Simpson scale):

Type Category Pressure (mb) Winds
(knots) Winds
(mph) Surge
(ft) Line Color

Depression TD ----- < 34 < 39 Green

Tropical Storm TS ----- 34-63 39-73 Yellow

Hurricane 1 > 980 64-82 74-95 4-5 Red

Hurricane 2 965-980 83-95 96-110 6-8 Light Red

Hurricane 3 945-965 96-112 111-130 9-12 Magenta

Hurricane 4 920-945 113-135 131-155 13-18 Light Magenta

Hurricane 5 < 920 >135 >155 >18 White

Timeline of the Development and Deterioration of Typhoon Kit, June 1953

Date: 25 JUN-8 JUL 1953
Super Typhoon #5
ADV LAT   LON       TIME     WIND PR STAT
1   5.00 150.00 06/25/00Z   30        - TROPICAL DEPRESSION
2   5.20 149.40 06/25/06Z   30        - TROPICAL DEPRESSION
3   5.40 148.90 06/25/12Z   30        - TROPICAL DEPRESSION
4   5.60 148.30 06/25/18Z   35        - TROPICAL STORM
5   5.70 147.70 06/26/00Z   40        - TROPICAL STORM
6   5.80 147.00 06/26/06Z   45        - TROPICAL STORM
7   6.00 146.30 06/26/12Z   60        - TROPICAL STORM
8   6.30 145.70 06/26/18Z   70        - TYPHOON-1
9   6.80 145.20 06/27/00Z   75        - TYPHOON-1
10   7.40 144.30 06/27/06Z   75       - TYPHOON-1
11   7.70 143.80 06/27/12Z   80       - TYPHOON-1
12   7.70 143.00 06/27/18Z   80       - TYPHOON-1
13   7.70 142.30 06/28/00Z   80       - TYPHOON-1
14   8.30 141.40 06/28/06Z 100      - TYPHOON-3
15   9.10 140.70 06/28/12Z 110      - TYPHOON-3
16 10.20 139.80 06/28/18Z 110     - TYPHOON-3
17 11.20 139.20 06/29/00Z 110     - TYPHOON-3
18 12.20 138.20 06/29/06Z 120     - TYPHOON-4
19 13.10 137.00 06/29/12Z 150     - TYPHOON-5 Period of maximum strength
20 13.70 135.70 06/29/18Z 150     - TYPHOON-5
21 14.10 134.10 06/30/00Z 150     - TYPHOON-5
22 14.80 133.30 06/30/06Z 150     - TYPHOON-5
23 15.90 132.40 06/30/12Z 150     - TYPHOON-5
24 16.30 131.20 06/30/18Z 150     - TYPHOON-5
25 16.50 130.00 07/01/00Z 145     - TYPHOON-5
26 16.60 129.00 07/01/06Z 140     - TYPHOON-5
27 16.90 128.20 07/01/12Z 140     - TYPHOON-5
28 17.20 127.70 07/01/18Z 140     - TYPHOON-5
29 17.50 127.20 07/02/00Z 130     - TYPHOON-4
30 18.50 126.90 07/02/06Z 120     - TYPHOON-4
31 19.40 126.50 07/02/12Z 120     - TYPHOON-4
32 20.20 125.90 07/02/18Z 120     - TYPHOON-4
33 21.00 125.00 07/03/00Z 120     - TYPHOON-4
34 21.90 123.80 07/03/06Z 110     - TYPHOON-3
35 22.80 122.40 07/03/12Z 110     - TYPHOON-3
36 24.20 121.30 07/03/18Z   90     - TYPHOON-2
37 25.30 120.70 07/04/00Z   90     - TYPHOON-2
38 26.50 119.90 07/04/06Z   60     - TROPICAL STORM
39 27.60 119.60 07/04/12Z   40     - TROPICAL STORM
40 28.70 119.50 07/04/18Z   40     - TROPICAL STORM
41 29.70 119.50 07/05/00Z   40     - TROPICAL STORM
42 30.80 119.70 07/05/06Z   40     - TROPICAL STORM
43 32.10 120.00 07/05/12Z   40     - TROPICAL STORM
44 33.50 120.70 07/05/18Z   55     - TROPICAL STORM
45 34.80 121.70 07/06/00Z   55     - TROPICAL STORM
46 35.80 122.70 07/06/06Z   55     - TROPICAL STORM
47 37.20 124.50 07/06/12Z   55     - TROPICAL STORM
48 38.70 126.90 07/06/18Z   40     - TROPICAL STORM
49 39.60 131.00 07/07/00Z   40     - TROPICAL STORM
50 39.90 133.90 07/07/06Z   40     - TROPICAL STORM
51 40.20 136.30 07/07/12Z   30     - TROPICAL DEPRESSION
52 40.50 137.90 07/07/18Z   30     - TROPICAL DEPRESSION
53 40.80 139.40 07/08/00Z   20     - TROPICAL DEPRESSION
54 41.00 141.00 07/08/06Z   20     - TROPICAL DEPRESSION