FASTEX Aircraft Chief Scientist Checklist

FASTEX Electra Chief Scientist Checklist

Flight Number: RF4 / 970125

Date: 970125

Proposed T/O Time (UTC): 1900

Primary Mission: Systematic Survey

Aircraft Crew:

Scientific Crew

Chief Scientist: Hildebrand, Wakimoto

Doppler Scientist: Lee, LeMaitre

Cloud Physics Scientist:

Observers: Paul Herzegh, Hans Verlinde

Observer: Stephan Uri, Brian Bosart, Stephan Uri

Observer: Cheng Liu, Huachenq Qui,

Aircraft ID: Electra N308D

Base of Operations: Shannon

Alternate Mission: --

Flight Crew

RAF Project Manager: Laursen

Pilot: Boynton

Co-Pilot: Gentslinger

Flight Engineer: Ringleman

RAF Tech: Zrubek

ELDORA Engineer: Loew

Location: Shannon

Mission Briefing (including proposed flight patterns):

Feature Specific study of cold frontal and possible frontal wave precipitation structures in the vicinity of 55.5N, 18W. The P-3 took of at 1945 and will execute a figure 4 large scale pattern and we will depart an hour later, fly over the buoy at 55N, 12W, then go the IP at 55.5/-16 and investigate cloud features along the frontal surfaces.

Take off Time (UTC): 0901 Landing Time (UTC): 1542 Location: Shannon

Official Mission Duration: 7 hours (from Flight Director)

Tapes Utilized: Data Sys.: Radar: WARDS: Video:

FASTEX Aircraft Chief Scientist Event Log

Flight Number: RF4 / 970125 Page 1 of 1

Date: 970125 Aircraft ID: Electra N308D Scientist taking flight notes: Hildebrand

Event Log

Time Position Events & Comments
(UTC) (Lat, Lon)
2140 The failure of starters delayed the departure.
234300 52.694, Takeoff Shannon. Early in the flight, after reaching cruse altitude, we
-8.925 tested three different headers to evaluate the effect on radar operation.
These headers were: 1) the basic Fastex header, 2) a new header that is the
same as basic, but with 3 frequencies and a 1.75 microsec pulse, and 3) the
sensitivity-3 header, which is the same as #2, but with half the rotation
rate and 960m along track sampling.
0051 56,-15 Begin descent to initial point.
0103 Crossed the cold front.56.5, -15.8
0109 Turning to the north.
0113 56.95, Turning to the east toward the front.
-16.12
011530 Note wave-like nature of surface cloud returns to the left fore radar
0122 56.9, Winds are beginning to shift, but very slowly. Front is extremely diffuse.
-15.17
ATRL is intermittent. Use ATRR for analysis on this flight.
0126 56.9, Can see the front approaching in the fore radar.
-14.8
012740 56.915, Through the front, into the jet (22 m/s) to the east.
-14.62
0130 Turning left to 050
013805 At the front. Very weak. Turbulent.
013940 Turning to 180 to go south throught the front.
014717 Turning to 090. we have passed through an area of gravity waves: 0140-0145.
014940 56.67, Going through the diffuse front.
-14.68
0150 Elevated precip cellc off to the right, to SE of the front.
Turning to the north.
015440 Frontal wind change is visible in ELDORA with a precipitation feature off to
the east by 20 km.
015614 In a wind shift area with increased turbulence and a 1C temp drop, but still
in the warm air.
020110 57.315, At the front, winds changeing to the NE., temo and mr dropping.
-14.4
020250 57.424, Turning to 040.
-14.4
0207 57.59, Front is visible 30 km to the right in the fore radar, 26 km in the aft
-14.08 radar. We are gradually getting closer to the front. There are a bout 2C of
thermal contrast on this front.
0215 On the warm side of the front now.
Turning to the west to go back through the front.
0220 Going throught hte front.
022140 Turning to 250.
0227 Turn to 090.
0234 On the east side of the front.
0238 Heading 270.
0242 Crosssi ng the front.
0249 Turning to the east
0257 Through the front
030309 Turning to the west.
Climbing from minimum altitude of 200m
0315 Descending from maxiim altitude of 1380m
0316 Winds are turning throught the east..previously they have turned throught
the west.
0318 Ending descent at 440m minimum altitude, climbing.
0323 Descenting from 1700m, continuing heading to the west.
0327 Ascending from 660m.
0332 At 2300m, turning to the east, descending to 200m for a flight leg to -12.5
W. Then ferry to Shannon.
0339 At 200m, heading east.
0356 Starting to cross the frontal zone.
035930 Winds have changed into the easterly, warm airmass. Continuing tot he east
to -12deg.
0404 Heading for Shannon, Climbing
52.694, Landing.
-8.925