The aircraft is registered to the National Science Foundation.
I'll have to look on google maps to see what's down there....
This is a profile of the aircraft at an Open House. Picture below.
More info from Wikkipedia regarding this Gulfstream V aircraft:
On March 11, 2005, Gulfstream delivered an ultra-long-range G-V to the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). The aircraft—known as the High-performance, Instrumented Airborne Platform for Environmental Research (HIAPER), based in Boulder, Colorado, is being used by environmental and atmospheric scientists from both public and private research facilities.[19] The GV was chosen by NCAR for its exceptionally high cruising altitude, long range, endurance, payload, reliability, and low operating costs, as well as worldwide product support.[20] The HIAPER Gulfstream V is modified to accept wing/pylon mounted instrumentation.
And gee....it has Hardpoints on the wings, too!
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That's the Delaware basin of Wolfcamp Shale oil area.
ReplyDeleteThanks, NFO! I looked on Google Earth, and it looked pretty desolate. And if I would have zoomed out further, I would have seen Odessa and Midland, telling me it was part of the Permian Basin, and oil country.
DeleteWhat are they up to?
ReplyDeleteHard to tell other than some kind of "Survey Flight"....
DeleteThere is absolutely nothing down there.
ReplyDeleteFrom the flight profile it looks like an emergency decent from max operating altitude. Training?
I just updated the post with some information on the aircraft, but not this flight. The flight path was just way too symmetrical to be flown manually, so no idea what it was for.
ReplyDeleteIf I had to bet, GIS mapping of the wells down there.
ReplyDeleteGah, hit enter too quickly, SAR mapping or topo mapping.
ReplyDeleteIt appears to be a "Weather Plane"....
DeleteGee, where have we heard that before?