Plan of the Day

Wednesday, 10 May:

  • Transportation back of the aerosol measurement systems from DLR/Oberpfaffenhofen to the University of Vienna

 

Thursday, 04 May:

  • Paphos: pickup of instruments and equipment for transportation

 

Tuesday, 02 May - Wednesday, 03 May:

  • DLR/Oberpfaffenhofen: Instrument download from Falcon
  • Paphos: begin dismounting the instruments and getting everything ready for shipping

 

Saturday, 29 April:

Transfer flight with landing/refuelling in Heraklion (Crete).

  • Objective: Transfer flight back to Oberpfaffenhofen, Saharan dust sampling between Cyprus and Crete with focus on Crete
  • Note: According to the current weather forecasts, we will take the chance to sample mineral dust on our way back to Germany. The dust situation looks very interesting for the weekend with the situation being slightly more intersting on Saturday. Therefore, we are currently planning to go back one day earlier than originally planned. Update as soon as we have more accurate weather forecasts

 

Saturday, 29 April 2017:

  • 04:30 UTC (07:30 LT): Pick up at the gate, power at aircraft, final preparations for departure
  • 06:00 UTC (09:00 LT): Roll-out, fuel
  • 07:00 UTC (10:00 LT): Take-off for the Crete flight
  • ~08:00 UTC (11:00 LT): Arrival in the Crete area, extend profiling north-west of and over Crete
  • 10:30 UTC (13:30 LT): Landing in Crete (Heraklion)
  • 11:30 UTC (14:30 LT): Take-off for second flight in Crete
  • 14:45 UTC (16:45 LT): Landing in Oberpfaffenhofen

 

Friday, 28 April 2017:

No flight today: Preparation of Falcon for the transfer flight back to Germany

  • 06:00 UTC (09:00 LT): Pick up at the gate, power at aircraft
  • 12:00-15:00 UTC (15:00-18:00 LT): Data meeting at the Aloe Hotel, Paphos

 

Thursday, 27 April 2017:

  • 05:00 UTC (08:00 LT): Pickup at gate, power at aircraft
  • 06:00 UTC (09:00 LT): Roll-out, fuel
  • 07:00 UTC (10:00 LT): Take-off for the last flight – lots of dust in the area
  • ~10:30 UTC (13:30 LT): Landing
  • 10:30 UTC (13:30 LT): Group-photo in front of the falcon
  • until 14:30 UTC (17:30 LT): A/C power, instrument calibration
  • 16:30 UTC (19:30 LT): A-LIFE dinner

 

Wednesday, 26 April 2017:

Objective: Dust and pollution from Saudi Arabia/Middle East at low altitudes, Saharan dust aloft, maybe a few Cirrus clouds

  • 08:00 UTC (11:00 LT): Most scientists at the gate, work on data analysis & flight preparations (without power)
  • Between 09:00-10:00 UTC (12:00-13:00 LT): Falcon out and back in (…because one of the other aircraft needs to leave the hangar…)
  • ~09:30-10:00 UTC (12:30-13:00 LT): Power at the aircraft
  • 11:00 UTC (14:00 LT): Roll-out, fuel
  • 12:00 UTC (15:00 LT): Take-off for a local flight south of Cyprus
  • ~15:30 UTC (18:30 LT): Landing
  • until 17:30 UTC (20:30 LT): A/C power, instrument calibration

 

Tuesday, 25 April 2017:

  • 06:00 UTC (09:00 LT): Pickup at gate, power at aircraft
  • 07:00 UTC (10:00 LT): Roll-out
  • 08:00 UTC (11:00 LT): Take-off for a local flight focusing on (weak) biomass burning and south-eastern European pollution at mid and high altitudes in the Cyprus area
  • 10:00 UTC (13:30 LT): Falcon landing

 

Monday, 24 April 2017:

  • 06:00-14:00 UTC (09:00-18:00 LT): A/C access, data analysis, instrument maintenance and calibration
  • 15:45 UTC (18:45 LT): weather and flight briefing in the Aloe Hotel

 

Sunday, 23 April 2017: Day-off

 

Saturday, 22 April 2017:

    One flight: Local flight south of Cyprus

  • 04:00 UTC (07:00 LT): Pickup at gate, power at aircraft
  • 06:00 UTC (09:00 LT): Take-off for a local dust sampling flight south of Cyprus (same pattern as on 13 April), lidar and in-situ overflights of Limassol and Paphos
  • 09:15 UTC (12:15 LT): Landing in Paphos
  • 14:00 UTC (17:00 LT): End of work at the aircraft

 

Friday, 21 April 2017:

    One flight: Local flight west of Cyprus

  • 09:30 UTC (12:30 LT): Pick up at the gate, power at aircraft
  • 10:30 UTC (13:30 LT): Roll-out, fuel
  • 11:30 UTC (14:30 LT): Take-off for a local flight west of Cyprus
  • 15:15 UTC (18:15 LT): Landing
  • 17:00 UTC (20:00 LT): End of work

 

Thursday, 20 April 2017:

    First flight: Cyprus - Crete

  • 09:00 UTC (11:00 LT): Pick up at the gate, power at aircraft
  • 09:00 UTC (12:00 LT): Roll-out, fuel
  • 10:00 UTC (13:00 LT): Take-off for the first flight to Crete
  • After take-off in Cyprus: Lagrangian sampling of the airmasses measured yesterday. Expect in-situ altitudes between 15.000-18.000ft in an in-situ leg south of Cyprus.
  • Fly to Crete at „lidar altitude“ (FL300).
  • Before landing: Extended in-situ sampling at different altitudes in the Crete area with several Finokalia overflights
  • 13:30 UTC (16:30 LT): Landing in Heraklion (Crete)

    •  

    Second flight: Crete - Cyprus

  • 14:30 UTC (17:30 LT): Take-off in Heraklion (Crete), repeated climbs and descends between 2.000 ft and ~FL300 enroute between Crete and Cyprus.
  • 18:00 UTC (21:00 LT): Night landing at Paphos (Cyprus)
  • 19:30 UTC (22:30 LT): End of work at airplane

 

Wednesday, 19 April 2017:

    First flight: Cyprus - Malta

  • 10:00 UTC (13:00 LT): Take-off in Paphos, flight at high altitude (FL320) to the east
  • 11:00 UTC (14:00 LT): High-altitude overflight of Finokalia (Crete)
  • Before landing: Vertical profiling south of Malta (lidar leg, three in-situ legs at FL140, FL100, A050)
  • 14:00 UTC (17:00 LT): Landing in Malta

    •  

    Second flight: Malta - Cyprus

  • 15:00 UTC (18:00 LT): Take-off in Malta, low level in-situ measurements after take off south of Malta, stay enroute at ~FL160-180 for about 15-20 mins, climb to lidar altitude
  • 16:30 UTC (19:30 LT): Enroute in-situ profile over and near Crete down to FL100, climb to lidar altitude (~FL330) after Finokalia overflight
  • Before landing in Paphos: High-level lidar overflight of Limassol, depending on fuel left: some in-situ levels in the Cyprus area
  • 19:00 UTC (22:00 LT): Night landing in Paphos

 

Tuesday, 18 April 2017:

  • 06:00-10:00 UTC (09:00-13:00 LT): Power at aircraft, instrument maintenance day
  • 12:00-15:00 UTC (15:00-18:00 LT): Data meeting (quicklooks, weather briefing, flight plans for the next few days) at Aloe Hotel, Paphos. Also in case of a local flight, we will go for the data meeting on Tuesday.

 

Monday, 17 April 2017:

  • Instrument maintenance day
  • A/C access between 09:00 and 19:00 LT

 

Sunday, 16 April 2017: Day off

 

Saturday, 15 April 2017:

  • Instrument maintenance day
  • A/C access between 10:00 and 19:00 LT

 

Friday, 14 April 2017:

  • 02:00 UTC (05:00 LT): Power at aircraft
  • 03:00 UTC (06:00 LT): Roll-out, refulling
  • 04:00 UTC (07:00 LT): Take-off for a flight pattern south of Crete with Limassol and Paphos overpasses at low in-situ and high lidar altitudes
  • 09:00 UTC (12:00 LT): Take-off for the second flight in Heraklion/Crete
  • 12:30 UTC (15:30 LT): Landing in Paphos

 

Thursday, 13 April 2017:

  • 08:00 UTC (11:00 LT): Take-off for a flight pattern south of Crete with Limassol and Paphos overpasses at low in-situ and high lidar altitudes

 

Outlook:

  • Wednesday, 12 April - Friday, 14 April 2017: Aiming for flights to Egypt and Saudi Arabia
  • Tuesday, 11 April 2017: Lagrangian sampling of the airmass collected during the flight on Monday (if the weather is appropriate)

 

Monday, 10 April 2017:

Two flights; objectives: Extended dust sampling/vertical profiling over Crete and Cyprus

  • 05:00 UTC (08:00 LT): Take-off in Paphos (Cyprus) for first flight
  • 10:00 UTC (13:00 LT): Take-off in Heraklion (Crete) for the second flight

 

Sunday, 09 April 2017:

  • 05:00-12:00 UTC (08:00–15:00 LT: Aircraft access for scientists
  • ~13:00 UTC (16:00 LT): A-LIFE data meeting in the Aloe Hotel, Paphos (time will be finalized based on progress of calibration & maintainance on aircraft instruments)

 

Saturday, 08 April 2017:

  • Day-off; no aircraft access

 

Thursday, 06 April 2017:

Objective: Arabian and Saharan dust sampling flight; same flight pattern as on Wednesday, but slightly different altitudes for the in-situ legs

  • 05:30 LT: Power at aircraft
  • 06:30 LT: Roll-out
  • 07:30 LT (04:30 UTC): Take-off
  • 11:00 LT (08:00 UTC): Landing
  • Power at aircraft until 13:00 LT

 

Wednesday, 05 April 2017:

Objective: Arabian dust sampling flight south of Cyprus with overflights (low and high altitude) in Limassol and Paphos after take-off and before landing

  • 06:00 UTC (09:00 LT): Power at aircraft
  • 07:30 UTC (10:30 LT): Roll-out, refuelling
  • 08:30 UTC (11:30 LT): Take-off
  • 12:00 UTC (15:00 LT): Landing
  • Power until 14:00 UTC (17:00 LT)

 

Monday, 03 April 2017:

  • 04:15 UTC (05:15 LT): Power on aircraft, instrument „start-up“
  • 05:00 UTC (07:00 LT): Falcon leaves hangar, refuelling
  • 06:00 UTC (08:00 LT): Take-off at Oberpfaffenhofen
  • 09:30 UTC (11:30 LT): Landing at Cagliari, refuelling
  • 10:30 UTC (12:30 LT): Take-off at Cagliari
  • 13:50 UTC (16:50 LT): Landing at Heraklion, refuelling
  • 14:50 UTC (17:50 LT): Take-off at Heraklion
  • 16:05 UTC (19:05 LT): Landing at Paphos

 

Friday, 31 March 2017: (all times are local times)

  • Second test flight to Vienna
  • 06:30: Power on the aircraft
  • 08:30: Aircraft leaves hangar, refuelling
  • 09:30: Take-off
  • ~09:55: Arrival over Mount Sonnblick, vertical profiling until about 10:45
  • ~11:10/11:15: Arrival over Vienna, vertical profiling until about 12:15
  • ~13:00: Landing, power on the aircraft for up to 1 hour after the flight
  • Afternoon: Preparation of the Falcon for the transfer flight on Monday


    • Outlook:

  • Transfer/measurement flight to Cyprus scheduled for Monday, 3 April 2017
  • Take-off in Oberpfaffenhofen at 8:00 local (6:00 UTC), landing in Cyprus scheduled for ~19:00 local (16:00 UTC)
  • Vertical profiling during the flight over Mount Sonnblick and enroute near Genua, Malta, between Malta and Crete; refuelling stopps with additional vertical profiles in Cagliari (Sardinia) and Heraklion (Crete) - depending on weather; according to the current forecast, the dust situation looks promising
  • Finokalia, Paphos, and Limassol: be prepared for joint measurements and nearby profiling?

 

Thursday, 30 March 2017:

  • 07:00-09:00: Maintenance work on the Falcon, no aircraft access
  • A/C access starts at ~09:00

 

Wednesday, 29 March 2017:

  • ~07:15: Start working on the aircraft
  • Around noon: Pilot check flight (no scientists on board)
  • Afternoon: A/C access, work on instruments


    • Outlook: Second test flight towards Vienna on Thursday or Friday – depending on weather and logistics for transfer flight to Cyprus which is scheduled for Monday, 3 April 2017

 

Monday, 27 March 2017:

    Paphos:

  • Setup and testing of instruments


    • Oberpfaffenhofen:

  • A/C access between 08:00 and 17:00 with some limitations inbetween
  • Before ~10:00-11:00: Work on aircraft instruments possible
  • After 10:00-11:00: Mechanical approval of aircraft; expect no instrument access during this time
  • 10:30: Flight planning meeting (for weather forecasting/flight planning/obs team)
  • 13:30: Daily status update in front of the Falcon
  • Afternoon: Instrument testing


    • Outlook for Tuesday: Test flight currently scheduled for Tuesday (may be shifted to Wednesday depending on paperwork situation)

 

Friday, 24 March 2017:

    Paphos:

  • Container installations will be continued (railing, inlet, ventilation, pumps, UPS, etc.)


    • Oberpfaffenhofen:

  • A/C access between 08:00 and 17:00
  • Instrument testing and calibration
  • 08:30: Daily status meeting in front of the Falcon
  • Flight planning for test flight on Tuesday (keep your fingers crossed that some dust from the current outbreak over the Western Mediterranean is still left on Tuesday)


    • Outlook for Monday: Preparation of the Falcon aircraft for the test flight on Tuesday; expect limited instrument access – at least for parts of Monday

 

Thursday, 23 March 2017:

    Paphos:

  • Finish electricity installations
  • Set up garden house (housing for DMAtrain pump)
  • Installation of railing, preparation of inlets at the top of the container
  • Work on instrument installations inside the container


    • Oberpfaffenhofen:

  • A/C access between 08:00 and 17:00: instrument testing and calibration
  • No status meeting (nothing to be discussed, just instrument calibration work on the plane)

 

Wednesday, 22 March 2017:

  • Instrument testing and calibration day in Oberpfaffenhofen
  • A/C access between 08:00 and 17:00
  • 8:30: Daily status meeting in front of the Falcon
  • Container/ground-based site „setup day“ in Paphos

 

Tuesday, 21 March 2017:

  • A/c between 08:00 and 17:00
  • 08:30: Daily status meeting in front of the Falcon
  • Instrument testing, calibration etc.
  • 17:00: Safety briefing at the Falcon

 

Monday, 20 March 2017:

  • A/C between 8:00 and 17:00
  • 8:30: Daily status meeting in front of the Falcon
  • Instrument testing, calibration etc.


    • Outlook: For those colleagues flying on the Falcon, we will have a safety briefing at the Falcon on Tuesday, 21 March, at 17:00.

 

Friday, 17 March 2017:

  • A/C between 8:00 and 17:00
  • 8:30: Daily status meeting in front of the Falcon
  • Instrument testing, calibration etc.


    • Outlook: Two test flights in the week between 27 and 31 March 2017. The first test flight will be a shorter local flight, the second test flight will lead us to Vienna and back (depending on weather).

 

Thursday, 16 March 2017:

  • A/C access starts at 8:00 and ends at 17:00
  • 8:30: Daily status meeting in front of the Falcon
  • Instrument testing, calibration etc.

 

Wednesday, 15 March 2017:

  • 8:30: Daily status meeting in front of the Falcon
  • GTR (ground test report)
  • EMI (electromagnetic interference) test

 

Tuesday, 14 March 2017:

    Morning:

  • No A/C access due to the visit of the German Federal Minister for Education Prof. J. Wanka
  • CAPS calibration in the laboratory
  • Finish the packing of air freight in the HALO lab


  • 13:30: Daily status meeting in front of the Falcon


    • Afternoon:

  • A/C access without power
  • Installation of PMS sondes


    • Outlook: EMI test on Wednesday; it will probably take most of Wednesday

 

Monday, 13 March 2017:

  • A/C access during the day
  • 11:00: Short status meeting in front of the Falcon
  • After the status meeting: integration of the lidar transceiver

 

Friday, 10 March 2017:

  • A/C access starts at 08:00
  • 09:30: Daily status meeting in front of the Falcon
  • Completion of tubing, installation of under-wing probes
  • 14:00: Integration of the new University of Vienna aerosol measurement system A-HEAD (Airborne High-resolution Extinction, Absorption and scattering Detection system)
  • 15:00: Integration of lidar transceiver

 

Thursday, 9 March 2017:

  • 08:30: Daily status meeting in front of the Falcon
  • Installation of cables and sampling tubes


    • Outlook: EMI test planned for Wednesday, 15 March 2017

 

Wednesday, 8 March 2017:

  • Morning: Bench checks for lidar and A-HEAD will be continued
  • 11:00 daily status meeting in front of the Falcon
  • Afternoon: Either integration of lidar or start of tubing for aerosol microphysics rack, SP2-OPC and CCNC

 

Tuesday, 7 March 2017:

  • 08:30: Daily status update in front of the Falcon research aircraft
  • Upload of SP2-OPC, CCNC, maybe lidar racks
  • Installation of adapters in PMS canisters
  • CAPS adapter test