IDEAS-4_GV: Instrument Development and Education in Airborne Science Phase 4 - NSF/NCAR GV (HIAPER)

Summary

NCAR’s Earth Observing Laboratory (EOL) and the University of Wyoming have been conducting a three year program to provide opportunities for flight testing of improved instrumentation for airborne research. The program is called Instrument Development and Education in Airborne Science (IDEAS) and its goal is to improve the capability of instrumentation for future National Science Foundation (NSF) airborne deployments and to provide opportunities for students to learn about observational science. IDEAS includes three phases for instrumentation testing on three research aircraft: the NSF/NCAR C-130 (2011),  the University of Wyoming King Air (2012) and the NSF/NCAR GV aircraft (2013). The GV will measure state parameters (temperature, pressure, humidity), winds, aircraft position/attitude, cloud particle spectra, and other ancillary parameters in addition to data collected by the instruments being tested. This data can be displayed in real time in flight. Investigators can have access to position and state parameter variables for recording on their own systems. Data recorded on the RAF data system will be processed and preliminary data will be made available shortly after a flight. Many of the measurements can also be relayed to the ground during the flight for display in real time via a satellite link. Real-time communication between investigators on the ground and the aircraft, as well as remote control of instruments from the ground is also possible. Some flights may take place in the vicinity of the CHILL radar which would allow coordinated flights with the radar providing additional opportunities for radar and instrument comparisons and student projects involving both in situ and remote sensing measurements.