---
platform: King Air
flight_id: KA-20251010a
nickname: The Lagrangian One
takeoff: "2025-10-10 13:02:00Z"
landing: "2025-10-10 15:03:00Z"
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, altocumulus, mpc, precip, multi, 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
<b>Altocumulus:</b> Mixed-phase cloud.<br>
<b>Snow:</b> At cloud top.<br>
<b>Cirrus:</b> In MSI swath.<br>
<b>Complex multi-layer scenes:</b> Straight legs at changing altitude to be in cloud.<br>
```


```{admonition} Flight summary
:class: note
<p style='text-align: justify;'>During the research flight on 10th October 2025, we targeted <b>altocumulus mixed-phase clouds</b> between <b>5.8 and 7.2 km altitude</b> underneath <b>EarthCARE (orbit #7774C)</b>. We sampled in the mixed-phase regime at temperatures between -25°C and -30°C. We sampled snow at cloud top and occassionally pockets of liquid droplets experimenting with a Lagrangian collocation approach due to strong crosswinds at the time of the EC overpass. After leaving the EC leg, we sampled ice crystals in cirrus clouds within the MSI swath.</p>
```


## Track

```{figure} ../figures/KA-20251010a/KA-20251010a_7774C.png
---
name: KA-20251010a-flown
---
Flight track for KA-20251010a.
```
Flight path (dashed line) superimposed on the MSI-RGR-1C product on 10th October 2025. The ATLID ground track is shown in yellow, while the EC leg (for correlative observations) is shown as a continuous line.

## Conditions

We were expecting pure ice clouds at our flight levels during EC, but a glory at cloud top was already indicating some liquid and potential icing. We indeed sampled pockets of liquid at low temperatures together with large ice crystals/snow at cloud top. The pockets of liquid coincided well with regions of stronger updrafts and more in-flight turbulence.


## Flight video

Video cutting and editing in progress...


## Events

Time (UTC) | Comment
-------------| -----
13:02 | Takeoff Kiruna
13:58 | Start ec_leg
14:05 | EarthCARE overpass (orbit #7774C)
14:22 | End ec_leg
15:03 | Landing Kiruna


## Execution

- Takeoff KRN: 13:02 UTC (15:02 LT)
- Hawkeye on: 13:00 UTC
- 13:45 UTC: going down to FL250, clouds a bit below us
- 13:46 UTC: down to FL240
- 13:52 UTC: start right turn to get on track
- 13:58 UTC: adjusting flight levels to be in cloud
- 13:58 UTC: Start ec_leg
- 14:06 UTC: WP2, ec_meet, going down a bit (nothing on probes)
- 14:10 UTC: going back up
- 14:20 UTC: going up a bit more
- 14:22 UTC: End ec_leg
- 14:41 UTC: FCDP stop, 2DS stop
- 14:45 UTC: data transfer completed
- Landing KRN: 15:03 UTC (17:03 LT)



## Impressions

- 13:15 UTC: TAS192, -24°C, FL200
- 13:16 UTC: 2DS sees particles
- 13:22 UTC: TAS219, -36°C, FL260, alt capture
- 13:37 UTC: TAS254, -38°C, FL260
- 13:45 UTC: TAS258, -36°C, FL260
- 13:46 UTC: TAS246, -35°C, FL250
- 13:48 UTC: TAS246, -34°C, FL240, 37 kt headwind
- 13:50 UTC: TAS242, -32°C, FL230
- 13:52 UTC: glory, liquid in cloud, 2DS-H sees crystals, TAS233
- 13:53 UTC: TAS240, -28°C, FL208, FCDP sees something (liquid - glory)
- 13:56 UTC: seeing crystals, TAS234, FL209
- 13:59 UTC: TAS260, -26°C, FL207
- 14:00 UTC: TAS250, few crystals, little liquid
- 14:01 UTC: lots of crystals, big crystals (only 2DS-H)+FCDP
- 14:03 UTC: TAS251, -27°C, FL202, FCDP goes wild, right at cloud top, large crystals on 2DS-V and 2DS-H also a lot
- 14:04 UTC: a lot in FCDP, TAS256
- 14:06 UTC: -28°C
- 14:06 UTC: TAS245, nothing on probes
- 14:07 UTC: FL200
- 14:08 UTC: TAS216, -27°C
- 14:09 UTC: FL190, clear sky below
- 14:11 UTC: TAS212, -25°C, FL200
- 14:12 UTC: some crystals again, Bullet rosettes (B-Rs)
- 14:13 UTC: TAS213, -28°C, FL216
- 14:14 UTC: TAS221, ascending a bit more
- 14:15 UTC: TAS221, -28°C, FL220
- 14:16 UTC: TAS222, -30°C, FL225, a few crystals
- 14:19 UTC: TAS214, -30°C, FL230, some B-Rs
- 14:21 UTC: TAS218, -32°C, FL235, maybe crystals too big, turning home
- 14:23 UTC: lots of crystals now, maybe still at match for this data due to crosswind, and still in MSI swath
- 14:25 UTC: 2DS-H sees quite some crystals
- 14:26 UTC: also 2DS-V now, TAS220, FL250
- 14:27 UTC: lots of crystals, TAS222, -36°C, FL250
- 14:30 UTC: TAS230, FL250
- 14:36 UTC: TAS235, -36°C, FL250
- 14:40 UTC: lots of crystals, still in MSI swath?, start descending

## Instrument status & quicklooks
```{instrument-table}
```