they fall toward the ocean with a tiny pair ra chute relaying back vital information including humidity, pressure, wind speed and temperature. up front, the flight's commander guides us through blinding clouds. >> everything you learn as a pilot, as an aviator out there is to leave bad weather. and we do just the opposite. >> here in the cockpit we're about to show you something that very few people ever see up close, the hurricane's eye wall. we are three minutes away. 15 miles from there. the wind speeds outside this aircraft is more than 100 miles per hour. minutes later we finally enter the eye and get our first glimpse of blue. below those white-capped waves are more than 30-feet high. the storm itself more than 200 miles long. >> they come in all shapes and sizes. this is a big one. this is a large wind field. this is going to affect a huge area. >> but sunset we head home. another set of hurricane hunters