Mission Plan :

N43RF will fly a EMC-tasked Tail Doppler Winds mission into Tropical Storm Gustav. It will leave MacDill AFB, FL at 04:00 UTC, and recover at MacDill AFB, FL by 12:00. The planned flight altitude was 12000', and a "butterfly" pattern with 100 nmi radial legs designed to obtain three separate Doppler wind analyses. Ten dropsondes were planned at turn points and storm centers for each penetration. Additionally, 20 AXBT were loaded for deployment.

Mission Summary :

N43RF took off from KMCF at 0405 UTC on 30 Aug. Overflight clearance of Cuba airspace was granted, reducing the ferry time to/from Gustav, which at takeoff time was located near 20.2°N, 81.3°W. The IP (21.48°N, 82.20°W) was set up NW of the center, but due to proiximity to the Cuban coast, the inbound leg was shortened somewhat; the first NW to SE radial leg began at 0941 and ended at 1028 UTC. During the first penetration, a GPS sonde reported a MSLP of 959 mb. SSTs from the AXBTs ranged from 28.5 to 29.3°C.

The aircraft proceeded north to begin the second inbound (E-to-W) leg at 1053 UTC (20.63°N, 79.75°W). A dropsonde measured 955 MSLP during the second pass through the eye, and the leg ended to the W of the center at 1140 UTC (20.51°N, 83.36°W).

The third inbound leg from SW-to-NE began at 1201 UTC and ended at 1246 UTC, with a shortened outbound radial leg due to proximity to the Cuban coast. MSLP from an eye dropsonde indicated 955 mb.