Sensors mounted on the wings and fuselage of the Citation II produce an extensive range of data on atmospheric phenomena. (Photo: Chuck Kimmerle/University Relations)

"N77ND," UND's grant winning, world-traveling research jet, nears its silver anniversary

Now nearing its 25th birthday, UND’s Citation II jet aircraft was likely the most expensive piece of research equipment yet acquired back in 1979 by the University of North Dakota.

It was just the fifth craft of its lineage to roll off the assembly line in Kansas. The price: $2 million, or the equivalent of about $5.4 million if it had been purchased with 2004 dollars.

It’s been an excellent investment, says Cedric Grainger, professor of atmospheric sciences, who came to UND back then to coordinate purchase of the aircraft and to help find the grant funding to pay for it and to cover its operating expenses.

He likens it to more recent major research equipment acquisitions on campus, such as the $4 million positron emission tomography scanner and cyclotron — one of just a dozen in the United States — at the School of Medicine.

When combined with the requisite faculty expertise, both put UND on the map as a player in the world of competitive granted-funded research. Over the years, Grainger, Department Chair Mike Poellot (who arrived at about the same time), and their colleagues have brought in about 50 separate grants and contracts with a value of close to $30 million.
Always factored in, of course, were costs associated with the aircraft, one of just a handful in the world with the capacity to do high-end meteorological research. The jet is paid for now, but its operating expenses remain high. Required inspections alone can cost up to $50,000 each.
The Citation has traveled the world to all parts of the United States and more exotic sites like Africa, the Middle East, South America, and the western Pacific. But “N77ND” has worked closer to home, especially in the early days when the department was heavily involved in weather modification research. It was the expertise of faculty in that area that convinced the feds to help UND acquire the jet, Grainger says.

The department also played an important role in solving the riddle of the microburst, a weather phenomenon that has brought down airliners approaching or departing airports during thunderstorms.

The Citation continues to be deployed to learn more about atmospheric phenomena. For example, much is yet to be studied about the physics of lightning, Grainger said. One of the many attractive features of the Citation, he observes, is the fact that it creates a minimal amount of interference for measurements of the electronic field. Unfortunately, it is not impervious to being struck by lightning. This has occurred more than 20 times so far, causing damage to some electronic components.

After it finishes a project in Grand Forks related to radiation transfer in certain kinds of clouds, the Citation will head for the north slope of Alaska to study Arctic clouds and later to Houston for a project related to the effects of air pollution on lightning. The National Science Foundation wants to know more about the electrical charges over that city that have an abnormal polarity.

The department’s earlier work in Denver likely helped it get the Houston grant, Grainger said. In that case, UND researchers studied the difference in water particle size in clear air versus polluted air.

Like workhorse aircraft of the U.S. Air Force, UND’s Citation has been continuously updated over the years. Its design and performance characteristics make it an ideal platform for a wide range of atmospheric studies.

The twin-engine fanjet can climb as high as 43,000 feet, cruise for up to four hours at speeds of up to 340 knots, and (perhaps even more importantly) can operate as efficiently at 140 knots.

The cabin is five feet in diameter and more than 16 feet in length, and can set up three researchers in addition to the two-person flight crew. Its basic instrumentation measures temperature, dew point temperature, pressure, wind and cloud microphysical characteristics along with aircraft position, attitude, and performance parameters.

Included are devices with names like “forward scattering spectrometer probe,” “cloud particle imager,” and “liquid water content detector.”

And that is only the beginning: The department stocks other instruments that can be loaded aboard as needed, and the aircraft is equipped with a variety of racks to accommodate the instruments of partner researchers.

Known and recognized at UND for its research productivity as measured in grants received, results published, and technology spun off, the department’s nine faculty members have been cited for their teaching expertise. About 100 students are pursuing B.S. and M.S. degrees in atmospheric sciences.