Field trials of Glidersonde and Remotely-piloted vehicle sounding systems

Two systems for making inexpensive radiosonde observations have recently been developed by the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) and associated collaborators. One of these systems, a glider-borne radiosonde carried aloft by a balloon (glidersonde), is detached at high altitude and returns gliding with the aid of GPS navigation to the launch point. The second system is a modified model airplane, which carries a suite of radiosonde sensors and can either be flown with the aid of a laptop display or guided in an autonomous mode during ascent and descent, except for the landing, which is manual. This presentation will describe results of field tests during the summer of 1999 with both systems. Key items to be discussed include the reliability of the systems and their components, problems and techniques of operation, and overall cost of operation. Plans for improvements in the systems, together with further field trials, will be outlined.