“I never set out wanting to fly into storms or chase hurricanes,” said Navy Reserve Lt. Kerri Englert. But speaking from inside an airplane hangar overlooking a dark blue propeller plane adorned with oddly shaped instruments, the leap of faith appears to have paid off. From high school Navy JROTC to serving as a Navy Reserve Meteorology and Oceanography (METOC) officer and now one of a handful of flight directors for the fabled National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Hurricane Hunters, Englert has charted her path with an adventurous spirit and a willingness to ask herself: “Why not?”

Englert, originally from Las Vegas, earned a Navy ROTC scholarship and began her career as a naval flight officer. With an early interest in weather, her sights looked to the METOC community, but when the Navy sent her to flight school, she embraced the opportunity. The transition to aviation opened a world of challenges, and she thrived, developing mission-planning expertise and honing tactical coordination skills while flying P-8 Poseidons. A few years later, a pivotal conversation with a fellow officer about NOAA’s Hurricane Hunters reignited her fascination with weather science. “Getting the job to fly into hurricanes seemed impossible and incredible,” she said. “From that moment, I set my sights on making it happen.”

Now, based at NOAA’s Aircraft Operations Center in Lakeland, Florida, Englert literally takes storms head-on. Missions aboard aircraft affectionately named “Kermit” and “Miss Piggy”—modified WP-3D Orions—take her directly into the heart of hurricanes. These propeller-driven planes, equipped with radar, dropsondes, and advanced storm-monitoring instruments, serve as flying weather stations. As a flight director, Englert orchestrates these complex missions, making split-second decisions to steer the aircraft through violent winds and turbulence. “We don’t avoid the storms—we fly straight into them,” she said. “It’s my job to navigate the aircraft safely while ensuring the team collects the data we need.”

Inside the cabin, about 10,000 feet above the ocean, turbulence rattles the plane as howling winds and violent updrafts test the crew’s focus. Englert likens her role as a flight director to a “belly button,” the central connection between pilots, engineers, and scientists. “It’s hectic, but it’s incredibly rewarding,” she said. “You’re combining technical expertise with split-second decision-making, and every move matters.”

In the Navy Reserve, Englert brings the same precision and adaptability to operations in high-stakes environments like the Red Sea and beyond. During a multinational exercise in Chile, she stood as the sole METOC officer, briefing commanders daily on weather conditions across vastly different climates. “One day I was mapping weather for desert conditions; the next, I was analyzing Antarctic-like storms in the south,” she said. “You have to adapt quickly and stay focused on the mission.”

Balancing her NOAA missions and Navy Reserve responsibilities demands constant readiness. Englert works to align her Reserve commitments with the offseason, freeing her to fully focus on hurricane season when storms dominate her schedule. “Storms don’t wait for weekends,” she said with a laugh. “When a hurricane forms, you go—no matter the day.” By staying ahead of her Navy obligations, she ensures she’s always prepared, whether she’s briefing commanders or flying into the heart of a storm.

Englert’s path has been anything but conventional. Leaving active duty to pursue graduate degrees in geospatial and atmospheric sciences meant giving up the security of a steady paycheck to follow her passion. “It was a leap of faith. But every step brought me closer to where I wanted to be,” she said. “If you have a passion, chase it. Roadblocks might turn into opportunities you didn’t expect. My whole career has been built on asking, ‘Why not?’”

With nearly 12 years in the Navy and a relentless drive to push the boundaries of atmospheric science, Englert’s story highlights the unique impact reservists bring to critical missions. Whether briefing naval commanders or flying into the eye of a storm, she proves that daring to say “yes” can lead to extraordinary places. “Every step along the way—aviation, grad school, joining NOAA—helped me find exactly where I’m meant to be,” Englert said. “This is the job I set my sights on 10 years ago, and now I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.”

The U.S. Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command provides critical information from the ocean depths to the most distant reaches of space, meeting needs in the military, scientific, and civilian communities. To learn more, visit https://www.metoc.navy.mil.