--- platform: King Air flight_id: KA-20251008a nickname: Charlie Bravo takeoff: "2025-10-08 12:53:00Z" landing: "2025-10-08 15:30:00Z" departure_airport: KRN arrival_airport: KRN crew: - name: Robert Oscar David job: PI - name: Sorin Ghemulet job: Instrument operator - name: Tim Carlsen job: Instrument operator instruments: FCDP: comment: operational: true 2D-S: comment: operational: true CPI: comment: camera connection issue operational: false CAS-DPOL: comment: CAPS computer failure operational: false CIP: comment: CAPS computer failure operational: false LWC Hotwire: comment: CAPS computer failure operational: false Gopros: comment: None operational: true categories: [cirrus, cb_anvil, ec_under] orphan: true jupyter: jupytext: cell_metadata_filter: -all notebook_metadata_filter: all,-language_info,-jupytext.text_representation.format_version,-jupytext.text_representation.jupytext_version text_representation: extension: .md format_name: markdown kernelspec: display_name: Python 3 (ipykernel) language: python name: python3 --- {logo}`CELLO` # {front}`flight_id` ```{badges} ``` ## Crew ```{crew} ``` ```{admonition} EarthCARE target scenarios :class: tip Cb Anvil Cirrus: Straight legs through cirrus outflow in Arctic deep convection.
``` ```{admonition} Flight summary :class: note

During the research flight on 8th October 2025, we targeted Cb Anvil Cirrus between 7.0 and 7.6 km altitude underneath EarthCARE (orbit #7743C). The convection was stronger than expected, so we did not sample in the mid-level mixed-phase regime as originally planned, but instead within the cirrus outflow covering temperatures between -35°C and -38°C. We flew straight legs at different altitudes underneath EarthCARE and overall sampled 10 million ice crystals.

``` ## Track ```{figure} ../figures/KA-20251008a/KA-20251008a_7743C.png --- name: KA-20251008a-flown --- Flight track for KA-20251008. ``` Flight path (dashed line) superimposed on the MSI-RGR-1C product on 8th October 2025. The ATLID ground track is shown in yellow, while the EC leg (for correlative observations) is shown as a continuous line. ## Conditions During the EC leg we measured high altitude cirrus clouds in the cumulonimbus anvil outflow region over the ocean right west of Lofoten Islands. ## Flight video Video cutting and editing in progress... ## Events Time (UTC) | Comment -------------| ----- 12:53 | Takeoff Kiruna 14:00 | Start ec_leg 14:16 | EarthCARE overpass (orbit #7743C) 14:43 | End ec_leg 15:30 | Landing Kiruna ## Execution - Takeoff KRN: 12:53 UTC (14:53 LT) - 12:56 UTC: anti-ice on - 13:14 UTC: all cameras go (for a while now) - 13:25 UTC: looks like embedded showers and Cb ahead, quite some convection, will arrive @FL250 at WP1 and assess the situation - 13:42 UTC: nose-cone temperature Hawkeye is negative - 13:53 UTC: try FL240 - 14:00 UTC: Temperatures Hawkeye: window -8°C, arm -11°C, laser +18°C (was colder before) - 14:00 UTC: Start ec_leg, on track now - 14:04 UTC: going up - 14:18 UTC: go up to FL240, WP1, turn - 14:21 UTC: going back on lack - 14:24 UTC: WP1, turn on track again - 14:28 UTC: WP2, will stay at this FL for way back to WP1 - 14:35 UTC: on leg but North of WP2 still - 14:37 UTC: WP2 - 14:43 UTC: WP1, turn home - Landing KRN: 15:30 UTC (17:30 LT) ## Impressions - 13:07 UTC: entering cloud, TAS188, -20°C, FL190, 2DS-H saw some ice - 13:09 UTC: big spike on FCDP, entering cloud again - 13:11 UTC: TAS200, FL220, right above cloud - 13:11 UTC: sun pillar reflection on cloud below - 13:12 UTC: TAS206, -29°C, FL240, aggregated Bullet rosettes (B-Rs, see photo) - 13:14 UTC: alt capture, TAS220, -31°C, FL250 - 13:22 UTC: TAS226, -32°C - 13:25 UTC: TAS224 - 13:37 UTC: TAS230, -37°C, FL250 - 13:39 UTC: going right over anvil right now - 13:40 UTC: TAS227, -38°C, FL250 - 13:41 UTC: a bit bumpy, red on radar ahead - 13:45 UTC: TAS232, -40°C, FL250, lots of ice on 2DS, a little on FCDP - 13:48 UTC: TAS220, -40°C, FL250 - 13:49 UTC: still right on top of cloud, lots of ice - 13:51 UTC: hold, try to go down a little to assess - 13:53 UTC: TAS225, -41°C, FL250, lots in 2DS-V and 2DS-H (before it was mainly 2DS-H for a while) - 13:55 UTC: TAS240, -37°C, FL240, lots of ice - 13:55 UTC: TAS240, -34°C, FL230 - 13:58 UTC: TAS230, -33°C, FL220, both channels see ice, anvil cirrus - 14:00 UTC: TAS224, -32°C, FL220 - 14:01 UTC: TAS224, ice again - 14:02 UTC: TAS227 - 14:05 UTC: TAS224, -35°C, FL230, looks like close to cloud top - 14:07 UTC: some smaller ice - 14:08 UTC: TAS220 - 14:09 UTC: TAS225, -36°C, FL230, lots of ice (millions of crystals!) - 14:12 UTC: TAS229, FL230 - 14:13 UTC: TAS231, -35°C, FL230, not much ice right now, now back in cloud, big ice (2DS-H), nothing on 2DS-V - 14:16 UTC: TAS228, -35°C, FL230, ec_meet, heaps of ice, also some in FCDP - 14:20 UTC: TAS229, -37°C, FL240, a few smaller crystals - 14:21 UTC: seem to be right at top of cloud, going back on leg, lots of ice - 14:23 UTC: TAS229, -37°C, FL240 - 14:24 UTC: WP1, in cloud, turn on track again - 14:25 UTC: TAS231, -37°C, lots of ice - 14:26 UTC: a bit in FCDP, lots of ice still, nice big B-Rs - 14:28 UTC: WP2, TAS220, -38°C, FL240, big ice - 14:30 UTC: TAS226, FCDP sees something, 2DS-H sees something, but nothing in 2DS-V, bumpy - 14:33 UTC: TAS221, -38°C, FL240 - 14:36 UTC: TAS221, -38°C, FL240 - 14:37 UTC: WP2, can see the sun shine through, lots of ice, crystals in 2DS-H, not in 2DS-V - 14:38 UTC: TAS224, -38°C, FL240, something in FCDP, nothing in 2DS - 14:39 UTC: ice again + FCDP - 14:40 UTC: out of cloud, about to enter again - 14:41 UTC: no more cloud ahead, 2min until WP1 - 14:42 UTC: TAS227, -38°C - 14:43 UTC: WP1, TAS225, -39°C, turn home - 14:46 UTC: TAS223, -38°C, FL240, still in cloud, trying to stay in cloud on way home, lots of ice - 14:48 UTC: TAS225, -38°C, FL240, right at cloud top - 14:49 UTC: TAS220 - 14:51 UTC: TAS228, -38°C, FL240 - 14:52 UTC: 10 million particles on 2DS! - 14:53 UTC: TAS228, -38°C, FL240, clear-sky ahead - 14:55 UTC: end mission to transfer data - 14:56 UTC: instruments off ## Instrument status & quicklooks ```{instrument-table} ```