Priority will also be given to flights that coincide with Terra and Trmm overpass times. Two flight specifications will be used. The first has general applicability and the second will be flown optional only during the Cloud Iop. The data legs will be five minutes in duration during which time the aircrew flies a constant heading while trying to minimize roll and pitch excursions. The legs will straddle the central facility in a manner such that 2.5 minutes into the leg the aircraft flies over the tower.
Winds add randomness to the shift angle.
The advantage of such a pattern is decoupling from any particular angle relative to the solar plane and any moderate scale cloud structure and while minimizing the flight time in turning and repositioning maneuvers. The data legs will be anchored by the ground positions of the outlying Cloud Iop radars. These are tentatively planned to be near the towns of Lamont and Billings, and near the Blackwell-Tonkawa airport. The data legs will extend 2.5 minutes before and beyond each anchor point. If the Cloud Iop does not change their outlying positions from Lamont and Billings, it will be possible to combine those two over flight legs into one longer, slightly bent leg set.