Winter 2000

If you want to use the T-28 during the next three years . . .

As one result of an NSF-sponsored Storm Penetrating Aircraft (SPA) Workshop held in October 1999, studies are under way to identify a feasible successor platform to the armored T-28 that has been operated under a cooperative agreement between NSF and the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology. A decision as to whether to proceed with procurement and outfitting of a successor aircraft may be made this year. After funding becomes available, it could take two to three years to make the new aircraft ready to support field projects. This would involve committing significant resources to the effort, which could affect availability of the T-28 during the development period for the successor platform.

Researchers who might need SPA flight support for field projects planned during the period 2001–04 should contact James Huning (facilities coordinator for the UCAR and Lower Atmosphere Facilities Oversight Section at NSF), telephone 703-292-4703, by 31 March 2001. This will help NSF coordinate the SPA program plans with the needs of researchers.

Edited by Carol Rasmussen, carolr@ucar.edu
Prepared for the Web by Jacque Marshall
Last revised: Wed Feb 7 15:34:33 MST 2001