UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON'S CONVAIR-580 FLIGHTS FOR SAFARI-2000

Date: 1 September 2000

UW Flight Number: 1826

Goals of Flight:

  1. Sample prescribed burn of Miambo near Kaoma, Zambia (14.818 deg south/24.47 deg east).

  2. Terra overpass at 0902 UTC.

Period of Flight (engines on to engines off: UTC): 0532-1108

Location: Kaoma, Zambia, and Kasane, Botswana.

Weather Conditions:

Clear at take off; increasing smoke heading into Zambia.

Accomplishments:

  1. Done.

  2. Done.

  3. Also, chemical and physical measurements over fire and at 7 and 4 nm downwind, and run along length of plume from head of fire.

  4. Measurements en route from Pietersburg to Kaoma, and from Kaoma to Kasane.

Main Instrument Malfunctions:

See Squawk list. (Two new voltage regulators on - 1 from Seattle and 1 from UK (both OK).

Flight Scientist: Peter Hobbs

Approx. UCT Time
(UTC = local time minus 2 hours)

Activity

0540

Take off.

0540-0550

Climb to 12,700 ft.

0550-0838

Transit at 12,700 ft to top of boundary layer, then to 8,500 ft after crossing South Africa/Zambia border, then at 6,200 ft.

Nice sunphotometer profile into Kaoma.

0838

Arrive at fire (pilot's wind 070 deg/11 kts).

0846

Fire ignition.

0857

1st pass through smoke column close to fire.

0901

2nd pass through smoke column (1st grab bag).

0902

Terra overpass.

0902-0919

3rd pass through smoke plume.

4th pass through smoke plume.

6th pass through smoke plume.

0919

7th pass hrough smoke plume (2nd grab bag).

0926-0933

Run along length of plume from head of fire.

0947-1007

Crossed width of plume at 7 nautical miles downwind; very thin smoke (1 grab bag).

Another penetration across width of plume (without bag sample) at 7 nautical miles downwind.

Penetration across plume (no bag) at 4 nautical miles downwind of fire (no bag).

Second crossing of plume at 4 nautical miles downwind (no bag).

Third crossing of plume at 4 nautical miles downwind (grab bag).

Fourth crossing of plume at 4 nautical miles downwind (1 HC can sample).

1007

Finished working on plume.

1007-1108

Return to Kasane, Botswana, to refuel.

END