Fargo Jet Center (FJC), a fixed-base operator (FBO) at Fargo’s Hector International Airport (KFAR) in North Dakota, has agreed to supply one of its jets for a research project tracking thunderstorms.
The FBO, through its sister company Weather Modification International, was contracted by the University of North Dakota (UND) to cooperate in a research project sponsored by the U.S. Navy’s Naval Surface Warfare Center.
The project, dubbed Cape Experiment 2019 (CapeEx19), will measure the temperature, humidity, wind, and pressure of the storms along their top and centre layers, using a variety of specially fitted probes attached to the Cessna Citation II.
“CapeEx19 is one example of how we can leverage the strengths of UND and the atmospheric sciences department in deploying industry-leading equipment on domestic and international projects, in this case, a fully instrumented Cessna Citation II research aircraft to Cape Canaveral, Florida,” said Weather Modification International president Neil Brackin.
The twin-engine jet will also measure cloud size, cloud imaging, and precipitation during a total of 20 to 30 hours of flying, to be compared with results from the Navy’s Mid-Course Doppler Radar, with he aim of developing better cloud models.