Lear 36 FASTEX Flight Number 11 Summary
Aircraft: Lear36/ N12FN (Call Sign FNT 212)
Date: 21 February 1997
Take-off: 2214 UTC (YYT - St. John's, Newfoundland)
Landing: 0310 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 : 2200 UTC 21 February 1997
1) St. John's
2) Turn Point #1 53N 53W
3) Turn Point #2 53N 45W
4) Turn Point #3 50N 45W
5) Turn Point #4 50N 48W
6) Turn Point #5 47N 48W
7) Turn Point #6 47N 45W
8) Turn Point #7 45N 45W
9) Turn Point #8 45N 53W
10) St. John's
One drop at each turning point Additional drops: 2 on first leg,
2 on second leg, 1 on legs 3-7, 2 on eighth leg, and 1 on the final
leg for a total of 20 drops.
- - - - - - - - -
Synopsis:
Clearance for the first 5 drops was given by Gander for FL310.
Computer complications caused a 3 to 4 minute delay in the deployment
of drop 2. Upon reaching drop 6 (53N 45W), Gander requested FL 290 due
traffic in the area. Due to stronger than anticipated head winds and
weak tail winds through the first 5 legs of the flight, a change in
course was made after drop 13 to conserve fuel. Instead of progressing
to 47N 45W on leg 6, we proceeded directly from drop point 13
(47N 46.5W) to point 17 (45N 47.6W). This eliminated drops 14 (47N 45W)
and 16 (45N 45W). Drop 15 was moved to the west, from the planned
46N 45W to 47N 46W (halfway between points 13 and 17). Gander cleared
us to FL 330 for drop 19 and FL 410 for the final drop. All 18 drops
deployed were without major complications.
- - - - - - - - -
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) 2237 310 -44 260@181 52d49.7' 49d23.2'
02) 2304 310 -44 263@204 52d53.8' 51d29.7'
03)* 2323 310 -46 246@157 52d49.7' 53d03.4'
04) 2333 310 -48 282@117 50d25.5' 53d04.1'
05) 2346 310 -49 285@116 47d43.3' 53d03.7'
06)* 2359 290 -52 137@23 44d55.6' 52d53.9'
07) 0014 290 -51 240@18 45d00.1' 51d30.0'
08)* 0027 290 -44 270@65 45d05.0' 49d57.7'
09) 0041 290 -44 264@160 46d30.4' 50d01.0'
10)* 0057 290 -44 260@170 48d00.1' 49d56.0'
11) 0110 290 -41 277@92 48d00.8' 48d30.0'
12)* 0123 290 -41 283@74 47d49.3' 46d54.4'
13)* 0132 290 -41 290@169 46d17.5' 46d51.6'
14) SKIPPED DUE ALTERNATIVE ROUTE--FUEL
15) 0145 290 -41 278@81 47d03.9' 45d58.5'
16) SKIPPED DUE ALTERNATIVE ROUTE--FUEL
17) 0154 290 -41 281@79 47d45.9' 45d02.9'
18) 0218 290 -40 265@112 50d19.4' 45d03.2'
19)* 0243 330 -47 249@101 53d00.9' 45d03.2'
20) 0256 410 -64 254@145 52d53.0' 46d17.3'
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)
1) Dark-couldn't see
2) 100% undercast well below
3) 30% altocumulus, 90% stratocumulus well below
4) 30% altocumulus, 90% stratocumulus well below
5) In very thin cirrus, 100% stratocumulus well below
6) 90% altocumulus
7) 50% altocumulus
8) 100% undercast (altostratus?)
9) 90% altostratus
10) 100% altostratus below, 10% thin cirrus above
11) In cloud
12) In cloud
13) In cloud
14)
15) In cloud
16)
17) In cloud
18) In cloud
19) 100% stratus well below
20) In thin cirrus, 100% stratus well below
Total flight time: 5+5
Total flight (ground) distance: 1656 nm
Ray Ramos
rramos@meteor.wisc.edu