Third Convective and Moisture Experiment (CAMEX3)
TExas-FLorida UNderflights experiment (TEFLUN) 1998

High resolution PSR map of hurricane Bonnie on landfall over coast of Carolinas on August 26, 1998.

During August-September of 1998 the PSR was flown on the NASA DC-8 aircraft as part of the Third Convection and Moisture Experiment (CAMEX3). The purpose of CAMEX3 was to study the formation, dynamics, and evolution of hurricanes and intense tropical convection using a variety of in-situ and remote sensing instrumentation. Three experiments requiring specific flight patterns were performed:

1. an eye dynamics experiment in which the DC-8 flew down into hurricane eyes to observe the dynamics of the eyewall,
2. a synoptic flow experiment in which the DC-8 flew near the periphery of hurricanes to study the effects of prevailing conditions on rainband evolution, and
3. a landfalling tropical cyclone experiment in which the DC-8 overflew convection associated with a landfalling hurricane.

PSR/A was integrated into the nadir-7 port of the DC-8 for CAMEX3 and operated in both 52° conically-scanned and cross-track scanned modes, depending on the aircraft maneuver. A new moving-map display for the PSR was used to provide near real-time brightness temperature imagery for both scientific and flight operations purposes. The display provided conically-scanned quick-look brightness temperature maps at the five PSR/A bands and at several polarizations.