NASA ER-2 Aircraft Navigation and Meteorological Flight Data

NASA's ER-2 high-altitude aircraft navigation dataset includes second-by-second flight parameters and outside meteorological readings. The data was collected during the GPM Ground Validation MC3E campaign to support satellite precipitation measurement validation. It is distributed with supplementary flight summary imagery and track snapshots.

Use Cases

• Validating satellite-derived wind and temperature profiles using recorded wind speed, wind direction, and air temperature columns.
• Analyzing flight paths for atmospheric sampling campaigns with latitude, longitude, and altitude navigation data.
• Correlating aircraft position with ground radar animations and sonde maps provided in the flight summaries.
• Studying upper-level atmospheric conditions during specific mission dates and times recorded every second.

Strengths

• Data includes high-frequency, 1-second temporal resolution for the entire flight duration.
• Combines core navigation parameters with specific meteorological measurements like wind speed and air temperature.
• Enhanced by supplementary visual materials including flight track imagery and radar animations.

Limitations

• Exact row count, file size, and complete column list are unspecified across all sources.
• Conflicting 'last updated' dates exist between platforms (2011 vs. 2026), suggesting potential metadata inconsistency.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Recorded by an on-board navigation recorder (NavRec) during ER-2 aircraft flights.

Time Range

During the GPM Ground Validation MC3E (Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment) campaign.

Freshness

2026-03-13 02:21:43.517578

Geography

Flight paths associated with the MC3E campaign, with track snapshots referencing KICT (Wichita, Kansas).