START

From November 22 to December 23, five projects were conducted under the umbrella of the HIAPER Progressive Science Mission: START (Stratosphere-Troposphere Analyses of Regional Transport), CHAPS  (Characterization of the HIAPER Aircraft in Progressive Science), NPF (New Particle Formation), DOCIMS (Drizzle and Open Cells in Marine Stratocumulus), and GV Static Pressure Correction. Valuable measurements were made on these 13 research flights, and the flights also provided opportunities to study the performance of the aircraft and its instrumentation. During the Stratosphere-Troposphere Analyses of Regional Transport (START) experiment in December 2005, the behavior of the extratropical tropopause was examined under a variety of dynamical conditions.