Latest news with #KingAirB200
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
These two planes will be flying unusually low over L.A. Here's why NASA says not to worry
Look up in the sky! No, really, look. Are those planes supposed to be that low? But don't worry, says NASA, because the aircraft you are seeing are conducting research and studying atmospheric data. The planes will take flight over Southern California starting Sunday through Wednesday. The low-altitude atmospheric flights will be soaring between 1,000 and 10,000 feet, NASA announced in a news release. For comparison, most commercial flights reach between 31,000 to 42,000 feet. From the ground, the research will look peculiar as the pilots perform vertical spirals, circling over power plants, landfills and urban areas. NASA did not provide any specifics about the flight path, announcing that the aircraft will buzz over the Los Angeles Basin, Salton Sea and Central Valley. The flights are part of NASA's Student Airborne Research Program, or SARP, and will involve two aircraft. The P-3 Orion aircraft (N426NA) and a King Air B200 aircraft (N46L) will make their way across Southern California, but not in the same flight pattern. The P-3 is a modified four-engine turboprop plane used in various research projects, designed for endurance and range, according to NASA. Read more: Yes, that light show was from a SpaceX launch The flights will be used to conduct various studies and to sample atmospheric gasses and measure land and water surfaces. The information will be used as part of the student's research projects, to be presented at the end of the program. The data gathered in the program applies to ecology, weather, oceanography, soil science, biology and satellite calibration/validation research. The P-3 is typically stationed out of Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia and has a science payload that can support a combined 40 hours of science flights on each U.S. coast, according to NASA. The King Air B200 will fly at the same time as the P-3, but will not perform the same maneuvers. NASA students will get real-world experience during their eight-week program as they assist in gathering data with scientific instruments on the aircraft, NASA said. 'Despite SARP being a learning experience for both the students and mentors alike, our P-3 is being flown and performing maneuvers in some of [the] most complex and restricted airspace in the country,' Brian Bernth, chief of flight operations at NASA Wallops said in a statement. The aircraft will also make what looks like missed landings at local airports and buzz by runways to collect air samples along the ground. In previous SARP flights over Southern California, the aircraft buzzed over Glendale and other locales. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
27-06-2025
- Science
- Los Angeles Times
These two planes will be flying unusually low over L.A. Here's why NASA says not to worry
Look up in the sky! No, really, look. Are those planes supposed to be that low? But don't worry, says NASA, because the aircraft you are seeing are conducting research and studying atmospheric data. The planes will take flight over Southern California starting Sunday through Wednesday. The low-altitude atmospheric flights will be soaring between 1,000 and 10,000 feet, NASA announced in a news release. For comparison, most commercial flights reach between 31,000 to 42,000 feet. From the ground, the research will look peculiar as the pilots perform vertical spirals, circling over power plants, landfills and urban areas. NASA did not provide any specifics about the flight path, announcing that the aircraft will buzz over the Los Angeles Basin, Salton Sea and Central Valley. The flights are part of NASA's Student Airborne Research Program, or SARP, and will involve two aircraft. The P-3 Orion aircraft (N426NA) and a King Air B200 aircraft (N46L) will make their way across Southern California, but not in the same flight pattern. The P-3 is a modified four-engine turboprop plane used in various research projects, designed for endurance and range, according to NASA. The flights will be used to conduct various studies and to sample atmospheric gasses and measure land and water surfaces. The information will be used as part of the student's research projects, to be presented at the end of the program. The data gathered in the program applies to ecology, weather, oceanography, soil science, biology and satellite calibration/validation research. The P-3 is typically stationed out of Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia and has a science payload that can support a combined 40 hours of science flights on each U.S. coast, according to NASA. The King Air B200 will fly at the same time as the P-3, but will not perform the same maneuvers. NASA students will get real-world experience during their eight-week program as they assist in gathering data with scientific instruments on the aircraft, NASA said. 'Despite SARP being a learning experience for both the students and mentors alike, our P-3 is being flown and performing maneuvers in some of [the] most complex and restricted airspace in the country,' Brian Bernth, chief of flight operations at NASA Wallops said in a statement. The aircraft will also make what looks like missed landings at local airports and buzz by runways to collect air samples along the ground. In previous SARP flights over Southern California, the aircraft buzzed over Glendale and other locales.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
What's that low-flying plane over the Philly area? It's NASA
Keep your eyes on the skies on Tuesday as two NASA research aircraft are expected to make low-altitude flights over the Philadelphia area between 1 and 4 p.m. The flights are part of a larger NASA research program that will take the aircraft to parts of the East and West coasts. Though NASA has not announced the exact flight paths, plane spotters can track the P-3 Orion and King Air B200 online, according to a NASA spokesperson. More: Small plane intercepted over Bucks County for airspace breach While in the sky, the aircraft will collect air samples and other atmospheric data for NASA's Student Airborne Research Program, an internship program for college students hoping to gain hands-on experience with all things atmospheric. The planes will also perform 'vertical spirals' and 'low-altitude flybys,' according to the NASA press release. This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Low-flying NASA planes over Philly this week. Here's why
