Mission Summary for 28 July
Ed Zipser, Aircraft Coordinator (TRMM OPS)
Peter Hobbs, Convair Chief Scientist
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Single Aircraft Mission- Convair- (Mission#UW1784 in PH's notation)
Takeoff ~0555 UTC Landing ~1010 (not exact) 28 July
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The a/c spent the first part of the mission doing aerosol and cloud
droplet spectra studies in the SE quadrant from KWA. Then they spiraled up
in the cumulus layer penetrating cumulus of various sized and depths to
about 13Kft. During their low-level work we lost communications for about
15 minutes. Apparently some of this was due to our outgoing comms not
going out, and not just because of line-of-site problems. Because of
difficult comms, we were slow giving them a line to fly in these cu to our
SE. Eventually we did, but after flying the line just one time (near 0700)
we shifted the focus to more substantial echoes to our west.
The second line was passed to the a/c abou 0728. (807N 16717E -
804N 16637E). This was a healthy looking line of cells and stratiform
which was at ~right angles to a major band oriented SSW-NNE which was
farther to the west and moving away from us. Four passes were accomplished
along this line between 13-19Kft. The line for the a/c was shifted north
about 5 miles for the 2nd pass, and an additional 3 miles later, and this
communication was accomplished without difficulty.
About 0830, we sent the Convair east to take up a new set of legs
in a different system for the overpass time. These initial coordinates
were 803 16810 and 751 16847. The timing worked out well, as the Convair
was completing its second pass at overpass time, and then did 2 more before
returning to KWA. The system targeted for the overpass was fairly weak,
but with some convective cells especially on the NW end of the track. The
system was apparently just inside the PR swath.
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UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON FLIGHT FOR KWAJEX
DATE: 28 July 1999
UW FLIGHT # 1784
Goal of Flight: To fly beneath TRMM satellite overpass at 2116 LT. (UW CV-580 only aircraft).
(All altitudes are standard atmosphere pressure altiitude unless oitherwise noted.)
|
Approx: Local Time (UTC=local time minus 12 hours) |
Activity |
|
1756 LT |
Take off |
|
1800-1905 LT |
Aerosol measurements below cloud bases of scattered Cu.In-cloud measurements from 1500-13,000 ft. Water spout seen. |
|
1913-1930 LT |
Flew prescribed line AB : 08deg 00min/168deg 52 min (A) to 08deg26min/168deg09min (B) at 13,000 ft. Penetrated a few cells with LWCs 1.5 g/m3 |
|
1944-1954 LT |
Flew prescribed line C to D: 08deg07min/167deg 17 min to 08deg 04min/166deg 37 min (D) at 15,000 ft. |
|
D2000-2009 LT |
Flew 5 nm north of CD and parallel to CD from Dto C at 15,300 ft |
|
2014-2024 LT |
Flew 5 nm north of CD and parallel to CD from C to D at 18,300 ft |
|
2026-2037 LT |
D to C on line 8 nm north of original CD line at 20,0000 ft |
|
Prescribed flight line (EF) for satellite overpass at 2116 LT: 08 deg 03 min/ 168 deg 10 min (E) to 07 deg 51 min/ 168 deg 47 min (F) |
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2055-2108 LT |
E to F at 15,000 ft (but 2 nm south of original EF line) |
|
2111-2120 LT |
F to E at 15,300 ft Satellite overpass at 2116 LT |
|
2120-2140 LT |
E to F (but 3 nm south of original EF line, that is, from 08 deg 00 min /168 deg 08 min to 07 deg 46 min/168 deg 40 min at 16,300 ft . |
|
2145-2155 LT |
F to E (on reciprocal of line specified for 2130-2140 LT) at 17,500 ft. |
|
2155-2214 LT |
Return to Kwajalein |
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