Page 10 - Volume 12 Number 1

The Department of Atmospheric Science at the University of Wyoming has operated aircraft for atmospheric research for more than 50 years, starting with this twin-engine Beechcraft C-45 acquired in 1965.
A quarter of N2UW’s projects are in support of Wyoming faculty using funding from other agencies. The university has other atmospheric science assets as well: the Wyoming Air Quality Assessment Monitoring Laboratory and the Mobile Air Chemistry Laboratory, a heavily instrumented Sprinter van, are used for mobile and longer-term monitoring and observation. Together, the laboratories and the King Air facilitate the gathering of and interpretation of atmospheric measurements directly relevant to the state and region.
UW’s Department of Atmospheric Science also operates an observing facility at the 11,000-foot level on a mountain near Laramie. The team has also conducted extensive high-altitude balloon launches to study the aerosol composition of the upper atmosphere in Laramie, Antarctica, Europe, Africa and South America.
How N2UW is employed
The aircraft’s scientific payload is reconfigured for every project to suit each unique mission. The team can restructure instruments internal to the cabin and external probes that mount in the wing pods and nose extension. N2UW is commonly configured to accommodate Wyoming Cloud Radar and Wyoming Cloud Lidar, cutting-edge, remote-sensing instruments developed at the University of Wyoming that complement in-situ observations at aircraft flight level.
“Our instrumentation is non-standard, so we have versatile engineers and technicians who we put a lot of effort into training,” Rodi said. “We also have two FAA-Designated Engineering Representatives (DER) who work with our Inspector Authorized A&P mechanic
8 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
JANUARY 2018