During a training mission in March, 2022, an Air Force Reserve crew was reprimanded for making an unscheduled stop on Martha's Vineyard. According to The Martha's Vineyard Times, the detour was made on March 25 so that a member of the crew could pick up a vintage motorbike. The crew was part of the U.S. Air Force Reserve's 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, 403rd Wing.
Based out of Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi, the Weather Reconnaissance Squadron is the largest flying group. Crew qualifications were downgraded for all members, and administrative steps were taken, following the unauthorized stop. “Air Force Reserve crews must put in flight training time each month to keep their qualifications, and off-station training achieves valid training requirements,” Col. Stuart M. Rubio, 403rd Wing commander, explained in a press release. “This personal stop was an abuse of government assets. We hold our reservists to the highest standards of conduct, and these actions are not tolerated.” He concluded.
The WC-130 Hercules jet that landed at Martha's Vineyard Airport was a huge plane, and understandably caused quite a stir. These planes, also known as Hurricane Hunters, conduct meteorological reconnaissance missions into hurricanes and weather systems of all sorts to collect data on movement, size, and severity. The crew of five personnel traveled from Keesler to Quonset Air National Guard Base on March 24, according to the report. They went to Martha's Vineyard the next day to pick up a crew member's 1970 BMW R75/5 motorbike. The leadership of the 403rd Wing was reportedly unaware of the 15-minute unauthorized stop.
The team flew to Mather, California after the unapproved halt to acquire specific equipment intended for use in atmospheric river operation. Atmospheric Rivers are moisture bands that span the Pacific Ocean, and are said to be responsible for up to half of the yearly precipitation in the West Coast. On March 27, wing leadership learned about the stopover, and ordered the crew to return to California. They were picked up by another plane, and the classic BMW remained in California.
