26Aug2010 14Z Daily GRIP Telecon - Michael Goodman

26Aug2010 14Z Daily GRIP Telecon - Michael Goodman

Global Hawk Report

• Aircraft – green
  • Saturday – possible science flight; 13Z (6a local) flight
  • HAMSR would like a sonde near water; looking for a flight plan near a 00Z Vandenberg launch
• Droposonde – red
  • 1^st sonde launch good; 2^nd sonde did not launch because pin release in launch tube stuck (perhaps vacuum pressure against the pin) – might need a redesign of a solenoid.  Low altitude test was at 15K ft
  • Engineers understand the cause of the error but still working on the fix
  • Confirmed that the pin will fail with >14 oz of pressure.  Ordered a new solenoid with a stronger pull mechanism
  • Re-fly of Low Altitude test flight is tbd
  • COA to drop in the Gulf and Atlantic is approved.  Can still drop sondes in Pacific in international waters but seeking COA for Pacific in US territories
• HAMSR – green.  Interested in validation data with drops or radiosondes
• LIP - green
• HIWRAP – yellow
  • but can still fly; HIWRAP pulled from Global Hawk today for work. Software / hardware (bad board or connector) problem?
  • HIWRAP being worked on during Friday

WB-57 Report

• Aircraft – green  
• HIRAD - green
  • HIRAD arrived on Tuesday
  • Ground test today
  • Arrival at JSC on Thursday
  • Checkout flight (3hr) on Monday
  • Calm waters over a buoy at different altitudes
  • Decision to suitcase will be made on Saturday; Fly precipitation WB-57 suitcase flights will be out of MacDill AFB, Tampa FL
• NAST-I delayed until next week.
  • NAST-I will not be onboard for the test Friday flight.  The piggybacking ground rules for NAST-I are such that it will not impact HIRAD.  No separate test flights will be done for NAST-I.

DC8 Report

• Aircraft– green.
  • Network issues during the 24Aug flight have been resolved
  • Hard Down day on Thursday
• LASE – green.
• LARGE – green.
• APR2 – green.
• DAWN – yellow.
  • Successfully collected data during the 24Aug flight but the wind retrievals are still being analyzed and processed
  • Found a solution from U,V,W components of the wind
• Microphysics – green
  • PIP repaired during 24Aug flight. Will confirm
  • CSI cannot fly for the duration of GRIP
• MMS – green.
• Dropsonde – green.

Science

• Suitcase flight to STX beginning this Saturday.  Targeting TS Earl which will most likely by H. Earl when we fly on Sun/Mon. Hopeful to catch a sequence of Cat 1 to Cat 2 intensification.
• Planning on a rotated fig-4 with long legs in TS/H Earl
• Models are not high on PGI-36 to develop into a TS. 

• Possibility of a GH science flight on Saturday (6a local / 13Z departure) to a weakening T.S. Frank in the EPac.   Concerned that cloud top are to high/vigorous for this first flight.  GH will not to fly over tops < -50K