Page 12 - Volume 12 Number 1

finally stabilized at 140 KIAS. The aircraft handling qualities were unchanged, for a heavy aircraft, the engines performed flawlessly and, needless to say, we had had enough research for the day and went home.”
Wadsworth’s account sums up why the King Air has been the best aircraft to build the university’s atmospheric research capabilities during the past 40 years.
“While more engine power would have been greatly welcomed in this instance,” he explained, “the aircraft performed flawlessly. N2UW has proven to be an ideal aircraft for the type of operations we conduct. Its reliability, hardiness and predictable handling characteristics are great features when we are planning to investigate more challenging weather conditions.”
A typical flight ranges from 3.5 to 4 hours, preserving standard IFR reserve fuel. The aircraft is flown single- pilot, allowing the co-pilot seat to be occupied by a scientist who ensures the desired data is collected during the mission. A UW support scientist sits behind the cockpit to operate the data acquisition system, and one or two seats further back are for scientific observers, typically students. Additionally, there is dedicated UW ground support during field deployments.
platform. Our missions usually are highly interactive with the pilot and scientific crew communicating on a hot mic system. While we have a thorough pre-flight briefing, this allows decisions to be made in-flight as the conditions are encountered.”
The department’s experienced pilots are capable of complex flights that involve decision-making related to potentially hazardous weather and frequent in-flight interactions with the scientific crew and the FAA to modify flight plans.
The King Air’s PT6-42 engines are critical because the aircraft has been approved to operate at a 14,000-pound takeoff weight and missions often take the aircraft into icing conditions. The aircraft had 300-amp generators installed originally in 1977. In 2004, the Raisbeck Ram Air Recovery System was incorporated. In 2010, TCAS II, Universal UNS-1Lw FMS and a satellite link were added as well as four-blade Raisbeck/Hartzell propellers. ADS-B installation is scheduled for early 2018.
Rodi said the department would like to find funding to replace N2UW with a new or late model used King Air 350 with the heavy weight option for a 17,500-pound takeoff weight. The King Air platform, though, will continue to play a role in atmospheric science research because of its performance and the accessibility of parts and factory support – even during long, international
“The pilot, principal investigator and system scientist
work as a team in flight to adjust profiles to meet
mission objects,” Rodi said. “We do not just fly boxes
based on waypoints, the aircraft is an interactive deployments. KA
Nick Mahon, a senior engineer for the University of Wyoming, removes a cloud spectrometer from one of the wing-tip canisters on the King Air 200T used for atmospheric research.
10 • KING AIR MAGAZINE JANUARY 2018