Because a tropical cyclone is in the shape of column of air, if you think of one like a cake, then the C-130 and P-3 are like knives slicing through laterally to collect data.
由於颱風是立體氣柱，若是將颱風想像成一個圓形蛋糕，C-130 及 P-3 反潛機的觀測，就像是拿刀子將蛋糕以「α」形從中間橫切，以探測颱風眼周圍的風速及雨帶分布等資料。