The University of Wyoming’s Beechcraft King Air 350i (UWKA-2) is a twin-engine turboprop aircraft instrumented to support various research missions. The aircraft features updated Blackhawk XP-67A engines, has an endurance of 3-5 hours (depending on payload) and a range of 2,100 nautical miles. The flight ceiling is 33,000-35,000 feet and the maximum payload is 2,970 lbs. It has Garmin G1000 Avionics and its gear was updated to heavyweight landing gear. With 16,000 lbs maximum take off weight, there is room for 3-4 crew (including pilot, UW scientist, and 1-2 scientific observers). The UW Department of Atmospheric Science has operated a King Air since 1977, and the current King Air since 2024.
A basic data analysis center with LAN connection to the UWYO computers and access to the Internet will be provided in the field by the University of Wyoming. Support, if requested, may include real-time communications links to the aircraft via chat and real-time display of selected variables. Access to forecasting tools and preparations of operational forecasts are not usually included as part of the service.
Data are provided at 1 Hz rates. High-rate processing is available for some instruments. Initial preliminary data will be made available during the project. Following the conclusion of the experiment, the fully processed dataset will be made available. A Level 2 user file, complying with RAF Nimbus NetCDF conventions will be disseminated, including all standard measurements and data from selected instruments. These files can be visualized via the NCAR AEROS software package (https://www.eol.ucar.edu/software/aeros).
UWKA data will be made publicly available once the data are quality controlled. If a PI wants to have exclusive access to these data for the first year, s/he has to officially request such a restriction via email from the University of Wyoming Flight Facility Manager (jfrench@uwyo.edu) eight weeks prior to the start of an experiment.
The King Air Facility also operates a passenger aircraft for University business. This aircraft is a Beechcraft King Air B200. Visit the website for more information.
