APPENDIX C
AIRCRAFT CHARACTERISTICS
DC-8/NASA 717
The McDonnell Douglas DC-8-72, operated by the
NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, is a long-range, four engine
jet transport aircraft that has been modified to accommodate a
variety of scientific instrumentation. It has a crew of seven.
A Data Acquisition and Distribution System has been installed to
provide a common means of collecting the information from a standard
suite of aircraft performance, meteorological, and navigational
instrumentation for the use of on-board experimenters.
Relevant aircraft performance characteristics
are:
Speed |
|
425-490 knots |
Altitude |
cruise |
30,000-40,000 feet |
|
maximum |
42,000 feet |
|
minimum |
1000 feet (daytime over water) |
|
|
3000 feet (nighttime over water) |
Maneuver |
max. ascent rate |
2000 fpm |
|
max. descent rate |
3000 fpm |
|
max. rudder turn rate |
45 deg. 1.4G |
Range |
nominal |
3000 nautical miles |
|
maximum |
5460 nautical miles |
Endurance |
nominal |
6 hours |
|
maximum |
12 hours |
Payload |
max. gross weight |
46,000 pounds |
|
Airplane max. gross weight |
350,000 pounds |
|
max. zero fuel weight |
196,000 pounds |
|
empty plane weight |
150,000 pounds |
The layout of instrumentation aboard the DC-8
for the TRACE-P Expedition is shown in Figure
4.2-1.
P-3B / NASA 426
The Lockheed Orion NP-3B (NASA 426), operated
by the NASA Wallops Flight Facility, is a low wing, medium altitude,
long-range (3,000 nmi/10 hours) aircraft powered by four Allison
turboprop engines. It has a deployment crew of seven. The NP-3B
has ground air conditioning and heating, and an auxiliary power
unit to provide ground power at remote locations. NASA 426 is a
global-capable research aircraft configured to support remote sensing
missions and instrumentation development.
Relevant aircraft performance characteristics
are:
Speed |
|
270-330 knots |
Altitude |
cruise |
18,000 -26,000 feet |
|
maximum |
28,000 feet |
|
maximum direct |
20,000 feet |
|
minimum |
500 feet (daytime) |
|
|
1000 feet (nighttime) |
Maneuver |
max. ascent rate |
3000 fpm |
|
max. descent rate |
5000 fpm+ |
|
max. rudder turn rate |
360 deg. in 10 min. |
Range |
nominal |
2400 nautical miles |
|
maximum |
3800 nautical miles |
Endurance |
nominal |
8 hours |
|
maximum |
12 hours |
Payload |
max. gross weight |
15,600 pounds |
|
Airplane max. gross weight |
133,902 pounds |
|
max. zero fuel weight |
77,200 pounds* |
|
empty plane weight |
61,639 pounds |
|
|
|
+ - arbitrary |
* - zero fuel weight with civilian
standard 3.0 g loading |
The layout of instrumentation aboard the P-3B
for the TRACE-P Expedition is shown in Figure
4.2-2.