Sponsored by NASA's Aviation Safety Program, the National Center for Atmospheric Research is guiding the study using three specially equipped airplanes. These planes will fly into and around storms between Fort Collins, Colo., and Cheyenne, Wyo., between June 2 and June 18. The goal is to find out whether it is possible to detect convective turbulence using airborne Doppler radar. Convective turbulence may be detected by weather radar that bounces radio waves off large raindrops, snowflakes and hailstones. If everything goes well, it could be ready for use by U.S. airlines within two years.
Convective turbulence is caused by heat and is associated with storms and clouds.
As air heats up, it rises, oscillates and becomes chaotic. This chaotic air is known as convective turbulence. Up to 60 percent of aircraft encounters with turbulence are due to turbulence associated with thunderstorms. Of the three planes flying in the experiment, one is an armored T-28 storm penetration aircraft operated by the South Dakota School of Mines Technology. The other two planes are a Convair 580 and a Sabreliner, owned and operated by AlliedSignal and Rockwell-Collins.