21 October Start/Stop
Times
Flight 1
Start Stop Maneuver
16:19:48 16:24:43 Towards A’; Descent 12K’ to 5K’
16:24:43 16:27:19 Near A; Descent 5K’ to 3.5K’ (End of 1st file)
16:38:14 16:47:34 Near A towards B’; 500’ (2nd file)
16:47:34 17:05:59 B’
to C; 500’
17:06:31 17:27:17 C
to E; 500’
17:28:33 17:49:35 E
to C; 1.5K’
17:50:41 18:15:38 C
to E; 1K’
18:16:42 18:42:33 E
to C; Porpoise 300’ to 2K’
18:42:33 18:46:10 C;
Ascent to 7K’
18:46:10 18:54:28 C;
Descent to 1.5K’
18:54:28 19:03:59 C
towards G; Porpoise 300’ to 2K’
19:05:18 19:14:32 G’
to C; 500’
19:15:00 19:38:44 C
to D’; 500’
Flight 2
Start Stop Maneuver
22:15:45 22:35:33 D’
to C; Porpoise 300’ to 2K’
22:36:23 22:58:36 C
to E’; 500’
23:00:09 23:23:39 E’
to C; 1.5K’
23:24:34 23:49:27 C
to E’, 1K’
23:50:44 00:14:47 E’
to C, Porpoise 300’ to 2K’
00:14:47 00:19:05 C;
Ascent to 7K’
00:19:05 00:24:34 C;
Descent 7K’ to 3K’
00:24:34 00:33:37 C
towards G; Porpoise 300’ to 3K’
00:34:51 00:39:56 G’
to C; 500’
00:40:41 01:11:21 C
to B’; Porpoise 300’ to 2K’
01:11:21 01:15:35 B’
to A, Ascent
Initial
Impressions: This pair of flights sampled the terrain effects off Cape Fairweather as an elongated trough associated with a landfalling low approached the northeastern GOA. It bears some resemblance
to the case of 12 October in that it appears that the aircraft observations
were collected in the vicinity of a hybrid-type barrier jet. In general, the low-level winds were from the
east at about 15 knots near C, from the ESE at 25-35 knots farther offshore,
and then were less from the east and weaker near E. The windshift near
the southwestern end of the C-E flight stack was on the order of 30-50 degrees
and 15 knots on the first flight, and about 50 degrees and 20 knots on the
second flight. These transitions tended
to be very abrupt, especially during the second flight. At first glance, it does not appear that the
abruptness of this windshift is associated with a landfalling front per se, but rather the interaction of the
synoptic system with the terrain-induced perturbation near the coast. As in other cases of this ilk, relatively
cold and dry air was emanating out of Cross Sound and swept up into the
enhanced flow just offshore of the Fairweathers.