Aircraft Commander | Chris Kerns |
Co-pilot | Adam Abitbol |
Co-pilot | Robert Mitchell |
Flight Engineer | Ken Heystek |
Navigator | Pete Siegel |
Flight Director | Ian Sears |
Flight Director | Jess Williams |
Data Technician | Dana Naeher |
Dropsonde Operator | Bobby Peek |
Dropsonde Operator | Steven Paul |
LPS | Lisa Bucci | HRD |
Dropsonde | Kathryn Sellwood | HRD |
Rdar | Gus Alaka | HRD |
Observer | Erin Daugherty | HRD |
Observer | Sandy Delgado | NHC |
Proposed NOAA 43 track |
Mission Plan :
The mission is to conduct a at DWL experiment into Tropical Storm Earl. The system is currently located in the southwestern Caribbean and moving west at about 15 knots (Figure 1). It is embedded in ~20 knots of northwesterly shear (Figure 2) causing an asymmetric convection pattern.
Figure 1.T.S. Earl in DLM flow |
Figure 2.T.S. Earl in vertical shear |
Track guidance suggests that Earl will continue to travel west until making landfall in Belize. Models indicate it will maintain its tropical storm intensity- possibly intensifying slightly during the mission (Figure 3).
Given the long transit time, the plan calls for a TDR pattern with an initial point (IP) in the north quadrant. A figure-4 pattern will be flown and completed in the west quadrant (Figure 4a). Upon completion of the mission, the plane will return to MacDill AFB.
Figure 3.Forecast intensity for Earl |
Figure 4a.Proposed flight track Figure 4b.Actual flight track |
Prepared by the Hurricane Research Division August 2, 2016 Aircraft: N43RF Proposed takeoff: 02/1800Z
DROP LOCATION TABLE
| #
| LAT
| LON
| RAD/AZM
| Time
|
| deg min
| deg min
| n mi/deg
| hr:min
| 1 | 22 00 | 85 06 | 1:36
| 2S | 17 15 | 81 48 | 75/000 | 3:43
| 3S | 14 45 | 81 48 | 75/180 | 4:21
| 4S | 16 00 | 80 30 | 75/090 | 4:49
| 5S | 16 00 | 83 06 | 75/270 | 5:27
| 6 | 22 00 | 85 06 | 7:02
| |
Take off | Landing
MacDill AFB, FL
| 18:04 UTC
| MacDill AFB, FL
| 01:27 UTC
| |
A figure-4 pattern was flown as planned, finishing to the west of the storm. As forecasted, Earl continued to maintain its tropical storm intensity and asymmetric convection (Figure 4b). The strongest surface and flight level winds were located in the north. Radar composites show increased reflectivity in the southeastern quadrant of the storm, with a tilted vortex to the southeast reflecting the northwesterly shear (Figure 5).
The mission was completed at 01:27Z with a recovery at MacDill airport. A total of 9 GPS sondes were dropped.
Figure 5.Doppler wind analyses |
Figure 6.Reflectivity and Wind Speed analyses |
Mission Evaluation:
Though the GPS/INS failed to initialize on the DWL, the mission was completed successfully. Observations were captured en route to Earl and within Earl. Within the storm, the DWL collected wind profiles both above and below the plane (4 conical scans downward, 1 upward). The flight level navigation data will be used to post process the DWL data to completely remove the plane motion.
Two radar analyses were completed and transmitted. One sonde stopped transmitting at 946 mb and one drop had an early launch.
Problems :
The GPS/INS failed on the DWL failed to properly initialize prior to take off. To ensure the DWL observations were captured, the DWL operator manually entered the plane speed. A strong oscillation in the lateral plane motion occurred while ascending out of MacDill AFB. It was unknown what caused it and did not repeat itself.
Lisa Bucci
October 19, 2016
Flight Director's manifest | NetCDF data | 1 second data
Final flight track |
Final flight track detail |
Flight track |
Flight track |
Temperature and Moisture |
Wind and Atlitude |