Specially instrumented aircraft of the Environmental Science Services Administration (ESSA), Research Flight Facility (RFF) have supported environmental research efforts for more than a decade. In 1969 the RFF participated in the Barbados Oceanographic and Meteorological Experiment (BOMEX) providing, in addition to approximately 1000 flight hours during the field operating periods of the program (May through July), flights designed to develop operational patterns, test, calibrate and compare sensor derived data.
While the three participating RFF research aircraft accomplished 146 missions, for a total of approximately 1138 hours of flying time, they collected about three million digitally recorded meteorological observations, numerous sea-surface temperature and water vapor flux measurements, two million cloud and radar photographs, and other special data.
A brief description of the scientific objectives of the program, aircraft and instrumentation systems employed, sample tracks, data collected and subsequent procedures are presented.
