The third ACTOS flight

After a strong shower the third ACTOS flight was slightly delayed but finally at 1:18 pm ACTOS was airborne. The conditions behind the shower were almost cloud-free so the main focus was on aerosol layers. A profile up to 7000 ft indicated a small inversion in around 1450 m MSL followed by almost isothermal stratification with aerosol particle concentration being higher above the inversion compared to lower altitudes.
A few tiny clouds had developed over the island (see picture) but in our operational area only at the end of the flight a vertical thin cloud layer was present. We sampled this layer with peak liquid water content of about 0.2 g /m3 but it was quite challenging to position ACTOS in such a thin cloud layer so the ground crew saw ACTOS more often than planned. A three minute record with cloud data was the result and made the cloud people somewhat happy but finally it was a successful flight for all people. On the way back to the airfield a group of Dolphins came along.

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