NOAA's Hurricane Research Aircraft
These aircraft are maintained and operated by NOAA's Aircraft Operations Center.
Gulfstream IV jet
"Gonzo" N49RF 
NOAA's Gulfstream-IV SP jet is a state-of-the-art, high altitude research platform. 'Gonzo' was aquired in 1996 to improve NOAA's tropical cyclone forecast capability by being able to deploy dropsondes from high altitude over large areas of open sea, where few observations are available. Track forecast improvements on the order of 20% are scientifically possible through use of this dropsonde data. Such reduction in track errors should reduce the average warning area by at least 10% (34 miles), saving the public more than $45M in 5 years.
Performance Characteristics
- Ceiling:
- 45,000 ft (12 km),
- Range:
- 4075 nm (7000 km),
- Endurance:
- 10 h
- True air speed:
- 440 kt (240 m/s).
- Aircraft dimensions:
- length: 88' 4" (26.9 m)
wing span: 77' 10" (23.7 m) height: 24' 5" (7.4 m) - Crew:
- 10 (3 scientists/observers)
|
|