NSF/NCAR HIAPER Overview

The NSF/NCAR High-Performance Instrumented Airborne Platform for Environmental Research (HIAPER) is an extensively modified Gulfstream V business jet available for airborne research. HIAPER has a 10-hour flight endurance, a range of 5,000 nautical miles and a payload capacity of 5,600 lbs. The aircraft includes one up- and two downward looking optical ports, aperture pads, and wing mounting points. Capable of reaching altitudes above 45,000 feet, the aircraft enables scientists to collect data at the tops of storms and the lower edge of the stratosphere. The Earth Observing Laboratory operates the aircraft within the National Center for Atmospheric Research.

Configuration: Airborne research platform

Number of available systems: 1

NSF/NCAR HIAPER GV Contacts

Dr. Pavel Romashkin / pavel@ucar.edu / (303) 497-1027 (Requests & Schedules)

Airborne Instrumentation

Each research payload is unique and will typically consist of some combination of EOL, ACOM (Atmospheric Chemistry Observations & Modeling) and user-supplied instrumentation. The tables on airborne instrumentation list available airborne sensors and measurements, and indicate on which aircraft they can fly. 

RAF can supply several types of trace gas and small aerosol inlets (HIMIL unheated, HIMIL anti-iced, aft-facing, all with PFA or stainless steel tubing, with or without sample line heating).

IMPORTANT NOTE

Prior to submitting this request, it is required to communicate with the appropriate airborne instrumentation contact(s) about the instruments listed below to determine if the basic payload request can be supported and/or if it will require additional resources.

[EOL] Dr. Julie Haggerty / haggerty@ucar.edu / (303) 497-1090

[ACOM] Dr. Sam Hall / halls@ucar.edu / (303) 497-1899

In building an aircraft payload, note that the payload consist of:

1. Standard instrumentation: This is a suite of instruments that is permanently installed on the NSF/NCAR GV airplane, and these instruments provide data on all airborne projects. See the table below.
2. Requestable instruments: This an extensive list of instruments that are requestable to fly on the NSF/NCAR GV, and are provided by NCAR/EOL and NCAR/ACOM. See the table below.
3. User-supplied instruments: PIs may request to include their instruments in the payload that complement the NCAR part of the payload. See the LAOF Aircraft User-Supplied Airborne Instrumentation Form that is uploaded in PRESTO in the facility request form.

Project-specific limitations of the capabilities of the standard instruments and requestable instruments will be identified by EOL and ACOM at the time of the feasibility study and will be discussed with the requesting investigators.

Payload Limitations

The number of requested instruments routinely exceeds the available space on the aircraft. We, therefore, ask PIs to indicate the priority of each measurement in addressing their research goals. The rating to be used is as follows:

Mission Critical

Useful / Desirable

Not Requested

Wing Store Configurations

Basic information on possible wing store configurations, rack space requirements, and operator status are included in the tables. There are a total of 12 wing pod canister positions. On the HIAPER GV, there are three basic wing store configuration options:

Configuration 1: 6 pylons (12 canisters)

Configuration 2: 2 pylons (4 canisters)

Configuration 3: 6 pylons (8 canisters and 2 large pods)

User-supplied Instrumentation 

Detailed information on specific systems and platform infrastructure related to mounting user-supplied equipment can be found in the NSF/NCAR HIAPER GV Investigator Handbook. All user-supplied equipment must meet RAF safety and design specifications.