Flight: 2004_01_22b
On board: Kevin, Bart, Larry, Brent
Take-off: 17:24 UTC - Landing: 20:28 UTC - total duration 3 hrs 4 min
Author: Bart

1. Synopsis:

The surface temperatures in Racine and Sheboygan at take-off are about -18C. 
Racine and Sheboygan are cloud-free at all levels. Surface winds from the NW 
(310-320) at 15 kts. Pancake ice drifts in large floes towards the SE from the 
Racine Lighthouse, I guess the ice zone is several km wide because it can be 
seen on visible satellite imagery. The lake persistently shows some whitecaps 
(small breaking waves) and streamers of steam fog are seen everywhere, 
suggesting a large temperature differential between water and air.

During the flight the winds are 12-17 m/s at all levels, directions vary 
between 310 and 320. The Green Bay sounding suggests stable conditions up to 
620 mb, and generally a NW flow. Well-developed cumuliform clouds are visible, 
especially on the eastern end of the track, with clear breaks in between. That 
is confirmed by the GRR WSR-88D radar. The latter suggests that these cumuli 
are aligned in streets oriented about 315-135. Visible observations from the 
plane, and the WCR HP and VP reflectivity fields, confirm that the cloud 
streets are more clearly defined than on 1/1/9 and on 1/18. This is especially 
so on the eastern ends of the tracks. Very little liquid water, and no icing 
on the airframe. Flight was deemed rather bumpy, bumpier than 1/18 and 1/19, 
but smoother than the 1/22 morning flight. The most turbulent sections are 
just below cloud top (in the vertical) and in the snow showers towards the NE 
end of the legs.

2. Instruments

No problems that I am aware of. Larry once encountered a WCR problem upon 
switching mode, resulting in no data between 19:22-19:26 UTC.

3. Flight tracks: a 310 track roughly along the A section (endpoints are 
SW=43 deg 11'N and 86 deg 58'W; NE=43 deg 30'N and 86 deg 35'W). 
This track was flown 12 times, as follows:
- Racine to SW: to 5000 ft MSL, VPDD
- 17:41:10- 17:51:00: SW to NE, 5000 ft MSL, VPDD
- 17:53:00- 18:04:30: NE to SW, 3300 ft MSL, U/D
- 18:06:10- 18:16:20: SW to NE, 2700 ft MSL, U/D
- 18:18:34- 18:28:00: NE to SW, 2100 ft MSL, U/D
- 18:31:20- 18:42:20: SW to NE, 500 ft AGL, slant-side & UP
- 18:45:00- 18:55:00: NE to SW: ramp sounding, 280 ft AGL to 6000 ft MSL, U/D
- 18:57:20- 19:07:00: SW to NE, 5700 ft MSL, VPDD
- 19:10:00- 19:20:10: NE to SW, 3000 ft MSL, HPDD
- 19:22:30- 19:32:30: SW to NE, 2500 ft MSL, U/D
- 19:35:20- 19:45:40: NE to SW, 1900 ft MSL, U/D
- 19:48:15- 19:58:40: SW to NE, 500 ft AGL, slant-side & UP
- 20:01:00- 20:07:00: NE to SW: ramp sounding, 210 ft AGL to 6000 ft MSL, U/D
- 20:07:50- 20:22:00: continue on roughly the same track towards Racine (WCR in VPDD)