Corrected version of Flight Number 9 Summary:
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Lear 36 FASTEX Flight Number 9 Summary
Aircraft: Lear36/ N12FN (Call Sign FNT 212)
Date: 16 February 1997
Take-off: 0917 UTC (YYT - St. John's, Newfoundland)
Landing: 1815 UTC (YYT - St. John's, Newfoundland)
Pilots: Gordon Stevenson and John Huchowski (both of Flight International, Inc.)
Navigator: John Huchowski
Crew #1 (on board scientist) : Ray Ramos (Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison)
Crew #2 (dropsonde operator): Dean Lauritsen (NCAR)
Proposed Flight Plan
Take-off : 0900 UTC 16 February 1997
1) St. John's
2) Turn Point #1 48N 50W
3) Turn Point #2 37N 66W
4) Turn Point #3 38N 69W
5) St. John's
One drop at each turning point Additional drops: 2 on first leg, 7 on second
leg, 2 on 3rd leg, 8 on final leg for a total of 22 drops.
- - - - - - - - -
Synopsis:
After the first three drops, clearance was given by Gander to FL 350.
The next two drops were deployed at that level. A request for FL 390
was granted and drop 6 was made at that level. Upon entering New York
air space, clearance was given to FL 410, where drops 7-16 were made.
Along the short third leg, only one drop was deployed instead of 2 due
to the longer amount of time for each sonde to hit the surface from FL
410. A change in the original flight plan was then made due to fuel
constraints. After drop 15, we proceeded directly to Halifax,
Nova Scotia. En route, another drop was deployed, slightly west of the
planned position. After refueling, we rejoined the original 4th leg.
Drop 17 was made upon ascent, at FL 390. Drops 18-21 were made at
FL 410.
- - - - - - - - -
Summary of drop times, locations ( in degrees (d)) , flight level (FL) data
drop/time(UTC)/FL(hundreds of feet)/FL(temp C)/FL wind (ddd@ff)/lon/lat
01) 0926 200 -28 250@112 51d52.1' 42d45.0'
02) 0931 260 -28 243@158 50d47.5' 47d53.4'
03)* 0936 270 -32 204@180 49d51.2' 47d56.0'
04) 1013 350 -49 213@188 52d31.6' 46d41.2'
05) 1042 350 -49 208@170 54d30.2' 45d30.3'
06) 1111 390 -58 211@160 56d40.2' 44d15.0'
07) 1139 410 -54 221@150 58d40.9' 42d47.7'
08) 1204 410 -56 224@157 60d28.1' 41d31.0'
09) 1233 410 -54 225@144 62d28.4' 39d59.0'
10) 1259 410 -54 221@132 64d12.6' 38d34.2'
11)* 1326 410 -54 231@126 66d03.3' 37d03.7'
12) 1340 410 -54 232@153 67d30.5' 37d34.3'
13)* 1355 410 -56 237@161 68d52.9' 38d10.9'
14) 1413 410 -56 253@170 66d47.4' 39d27.9'
15) 1422 410 -54 250@195 65d14.7' 40d33.7'
16) 1431 410 -51 241@219 64d31.3' 42d00.4'
17) 1709 390 -48 221@131 61d42.4' 42d42.9'
18) 1721 410 -51 250@167 60d13.7' 43d48.5'
19) 1732 410 -49 245@165 58d32.8' 44d47.1'
20) 1742 410 -50 248@160 56d44.2' 45d44.6'
21) 1754 410 -47 242@152 54d42.8' 46d45.0'
Notes: 1) (*) Turning points . These drops were
made after the turn was completed.
*******
Appended observations/notes
Observations from plane at each drop (starting with Drop 7; droptimes
noted above)
4) In cirrostratus, 90% stratocumulus below
5) In cirrostratus, 90% stratocumulus below
6) Cirrostratus layer just below, 100%
7) Cirrostratus layer just below, stratocumulus below 90%
8) Cirrostratus layer just below, stratocumulus below 90%
9) Thin cirrostratus below, scattered cumulus well below, 40%
10) 100% cirrocumulus/cirrostratus
11) Cirrostratus, 70%; Cumulus well below 40%
12) 100% cirrostratus
13) Broken cumulus, 70%
14) Thin cirrus below, few cumulus well below
15) Cumulus 40%
16) Cumulus 30%
17) Cumulus 10%
18) Cumulus 20%
19) Broken cumulus, 70%
20) Broken cumulus, 50%
21) Scattered cumulus, 30%
Total flight time:5+47 before Halifax/ 1+37 after Halifax
Total flight (ground) distance: 1738 nm before Halifax/ 636 after
Halifax
Ray Ramos
rramos@meteor.wisc.edu