Flying into Tornadoes with The OTUS Project

The OTUS Project is a family-run team flying custom-built drones directly into tornadoes — including the first-ever drone flight inside a tornado's eye, captured in May 2024. Co-founder Louis Tucker joins us to talk about how he and his brother Nelson build drones tough enough to survive tornado wind speeds, how they forecast and chase storms in real time, and the near-surface wind data they're collecting for organizations like NIST — data that could directly shape future building codes. We also cover the near-misses, including a tornado that crossed their exact location two minutes after they left, and what it's actually like to pilot a drone into a tornado while your team protects you from the very phenomenon you are documenting.