Fly Along with FIREX-AQ above...and within the Smoke

If there's one way to describe field work, it's this: Plans change! Today's flight was rescheduled for Monday, so let's relive the timeline of Thursday's science flight. It was a good one, which for FIREX-AQ means lots of smoke https://go.nasa.gov/2SMJILR pic.twitter.com/BbvoTCrz9Z

2:30 pm: The preflight briefing is mandatory for everyone flying, along with the instrument specialists and forecasters on the ground. The pilots check that everyone's on the flight manifest and the science team explains more about the fire they're studying.pic.twitter.com/pfJjQEJwZj

4 pm: Takeoff! Everybody is buckled in and ready for a quick transit over to Washington, where the team has identified a fire to study.pic.twitter.com/1PfU4OCJAp

4:05 pm: Remember that bit about plans changing? This is a great example! The DC-8 has only been in the air a few minutes when the fire weather forecasters get a new satellite image of the Shady Fire in Idaho and divert the plane that way.pic.twitter.com/5VH4gNXED4

4:30 pm: Because the Shady Fire is so close, the DC-8 arrives quickly and gets started on the science. First up, the plane flies over the top of the smoke plume , about 15,000 feet above the ground, to collect data from the remote sensing instruments.pic.twitter.com/ZUaW0WzTE5

5 pm: Now the DC-8 drops down to about 5,000 feet above the ground to fly through the plume. The plane criss-crosses through the plume in a maneuver called "the lawnmower." The cabin smells a little smoky and some people start sneezing.pic.twitter.com/Hvxc78ehhJ

8 pm: After the first round of lawnmowing, the DC-8 does it all again , this time slightly farther east of the fire. When they've finished lawnmowing again, the pilots fly the plane through the plume long ways, for more sustained measurements.pic.twitter.com/Im4e1UHiB3

9:50 pm: That wraps up the science flight! Because this fire was so close, the science team was working almost the entire flight -- most people didn't even have time for bathroom breaks. The DC-8 starts heading back to the @124FighterWing hangar.pic.twitter.com/4pRo0ywlWS

10:10 pm: The flight lands and the whole team unloads for a quick post-flight debrief . One of the pilots notes that "It's nice to have a flight plan to deviate from."pic.twitter.com/EwfiR4kq3Y