ATom-2 RF01 26 January 2017 Palmdale - Palmdale
Our first research flight brought us south to 1o north of the equator. We sampled either side of the ITCZ (Inter Tropical Convergence Zone), where southern hemisphere and northern hemisphere air meet. At this time of year, the ITCZ is usually north of the equator and we could see the distinct chemical signature of the ITCZ between 8 and 10oN.
Our planned take off at 7.30am meant that we had to be at the hanger for pre-flight preparations at 4.30am. That was a little early for me, so I will sleep well tonight!
It was freezing in Palmdale overnight and in the time the aircraft was outside the hanger (4am onwards), ice formed on the wings. As we have so many sensitive instruments, the aircraft couldn’t be de-iced and we had to wait for hot air blowers to be mobilized.
That delayed us for about 90 minutes this morning so our planned flight had to be curtailed a little to get us back to Palmdale soon after dark.
We still managed to get 5 good profiles through the atmosphere and most people were delighted with the flight overall. We saw some wonderful boundary layer clouds!
With the long leg at high altitude to get us far south, the aircraft was a bit cold at the start - so I bundled up as best I could! And I didn’t even realize I had my Irish colors showing :) Thanks to Rebecca Hornbrook from NCAR for this photo.
After an exhausting day from 3.30am to 9.30pm, we’ll take it easy on Friday with a “late” 6.30am start. Oh how I wish I still had east coast jet lag!
Christina Williamson from NOAA and I were delighted with the flight and the really interesting data we collected. The sign for RF01 is hopefully the first of many as we go along. And yes, we eventually thawed out.
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