SOFIA - NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy - is a unique and rather amazing resource for science. Operated for NASA by the Universities Space Research Association (USRA), it's been flying since 2010. It carries a 2.5m infrared telescope exposed by opening an access door in the portside rear fuselage. In January 2017, NASA published the first image from an upgraded instrument, the High-resolution Airborne Wideband Camera-plus (HAWC+).
My college friend, Elizabeth Ruth, is one of the pilots for SOFIA. Since she's she also a very smart and inquisitive person, I thought she also would be the right pilot to ask about how this singular instrument and its carrier aircraft are operated. Take it away, Liz.
1.
You were an Air Force and airline pilot, then
you didn’t fly for a few years. Can you briefly sketch your background and tell
me what drew you back to pursue the SOFIA opportunity?
I was lucky enough to
grow up on a Navy base in the middle of the Mojave Desert (pretty counter-intuitive
though that sounds) during the 1960’s and 70’s. I was surrounded by scientists,
engineers and pilots, the skies were full of airplanes, and sonic booms were a
daily occurrence. I wanted to fly as long as I can remember, and the doors to
that opportunity opened for me at just at the right time. I went to college on
an Air Force ROTC scholarship and attended pilot training after graduation. I
flew for two tours in the Air Force and then left active duty to become a pilot
at United Airlines. My husband, who was also an Air Force pilot, started flying
for Delta Airlines at about the same time. I flew for United for 16 years, then
retired early to stay home full-time to raise my three daughters.
I knew that I would
want to return to some kind of work once my girls went to college, but though I
missed flying, I did not intend to return to the airlines. The seniority system
they use meant I would have to start all over at the bottom, which I was not
willing to do. I worked in a couple of office jobs and quickly learned that a
Monday-Friday, 9-5 desk job was not inspiring to me at all. I felt I should be
able to make a better contribution that took advantage of all my training and
years of flying experience.
Serendipitously, I ran
into a NASA pilot while I was traveling. We struck up a conversation and he
told me about the positions at the Armstrong Center, including flying SOFIA. He
said they were always looking for part-time pilots who have a military
background and experience flying heavy airplanes. I knew instantly that this
would be a dream job for me, and I met all the qualifications. Who wouldn’t
want to work for NASA? He told me how to apply, we kept in contact, and a
position came open. I had several interviews and a flight check ride and got
the job. Once I was hired, I went through several months of training and now I
am a type-rated 747 pilot checked out on SOFIA. So now I am back to where my
dreams began—in the California desert, surrounded by scientists, engineers and
pilots. I have had several cool jobs throughout my career, but this one is the
absolute best.
2.
Had you flown the 747 before? Does it handle as
nicely as most pilots I’ve read articles by say it does?
Yes it does! During my
flying career in the Air Force and at United Airlines, I have flown most of the
Boeing aircraft models—737, 757, 767 and 777. Though I always wanted to fly a
747, it just never worked into my schedule at United, so I am thrilled to get
the opportunity now. SOFIA is a 747 SP. The SP officially stands for Special
Performance but we call it the “Sport Model” . I would say that SOFIA flies
like a big 737-200. It has plenty of power, no real quirks, and is very
responsive. It is an extremely well designed airplane that has stood the test of
time. I don’t know of any pilots who don’t love it.
3.
That telescope mount is pretty massive. How dies
it affect the flying qualities of the aircraft, especially with the aperture
open?
Believe it or not, we
can’t even tell in the cockpit when the door is open or closed. We can’t even
feel when it is in transit. This is another exceptionally well-designed piece
of machinery.
4.
Can you describe for me the typical mission? How
much science time do you get in, and how long is the entire effort, from
arriving at the airport to departing?
It’s a very long
night! The start time depends on what is being viewed that night, but typically
we will take off shortly after sunset and land sometime before sunrise, with
the actual flying time usually being somewhere between 9 – 10 hours. The
preparation for the flight starts much earlier, of course.
Takeoff minus 3 hours:
Crew Show and Briefing. The crew show time is 3 hours before takeoff time. We
each individually review the flight plan and conditions for the night, then we
conduct a formal flight crew briefing, which includes the pilot, copilot,
flight engineer, flight safety technicians, flight operations engineer, mission
planner, meteorologist and a representative for the mission director. We go
over the status of the airplane, the flight plan specifics and the weather
along the route. We make plans for contingencies such as aircraft or telescope
malfunctions. The timing at each point is critical, so we also figure out if we
can make any adjustments for a late takeoff. This will depend on the science
priorities for the mission.
Takeoff minus 2 hours:
Mission Briefing. The next step is the mission briefing, which includes the
entire crew for the mission as well as the planners, engineers and
meteorologists. We cover some of the same information for the scientists as we
did in the aircrew brief, along with additional information that is crucial to
them, such as the water vapor levels at each altitude. The scientists brief us
on exactly what they are looking for with their instruments on each leg and
which legs have priority if we have to make any adjustments for weather.
Takeoff minus 1 hour: Preflight
and start. We all head out to the aircraft to preflight and prepare our
respective equipment. The flight crew coordinates with the Mission Director
every step along the way to make sure we are keeping on time. We close doors
and start engines about 35 minutes before takeoff time to allow plenty of
opportunity to troubleshoot any problems without delaying takeoff. We are
usually the only airplane on the ground at Palmdale at that time of day, so
there is typically no wait in getting a clearance for taxi.
Takeoff: We let the
tower controllers know our “wheels up” time so they can coordinate with ATC for
us to get up and out as per our flight plan. A precise takeoff time is critical
to the success of the mission.
Climb out and level
off: We work with ATC to climb without delay to our first altitude. This can be
tricky if there is a lot of traffic around us, especially because we are not
flying a normal kind of route, so we are crossing other airplanes’ paths. When
we get straight and level, the mission crew runs the checklist with the flight
engineer to open the door for the telescope. The first line of the flight is usually
used to calibrate the equipment so they are ready for observations on the next
line.
Inflight: Once the
equipment is calibrated and working well, the scientists will start making
their observations. If all the weather conditions are right (no clouds at
altitude and no excessive turbulence) they can get 8-9 hours of observations
in. At the end of the last line of observations, we flight straight and level
for 5 minutes to cage the telescope, then the pilots can begin descent for the
approach and landing.
Landing: After landing
and taxi-in, the aircrew and mission crew depart the airplane and go to their
respective offices to write reports. For the aircrew, these reports include
filling out the electronic logbook for each of the crew members, talking to the
mechanics and writing up any problems with the airplane, and writing a synopsis
of overall success of the flight. This usually takes at least 30 minutes.
All told, the time
from show to go is typically 13-14 hours.
5.
That’s not a new 747. How much effort does it
take to keep it ready for these long missions?
We have a crew of
aircraft mechanics and specialists at the Armstrong Center who take care of all
the airplanes in the fleet, including SOFIA. They are exceptionally
knowledgeable and are very good at creative problem solving, which is helpful
when you are working with a one-of-a-kind aircraft. One of the most challenging
aspects of maintenance is finding spare parts for such an old model of
airplane. They know every source possible, including mothballed airplanes that
can be “cannibalized” for parts. Our operations engineers make sure SOFIA is
safe and mission ready while making decisions that are efficient and cost
effective. It is a constant effort that they take great pride in.
6.
Do the pilots talk much with the scientists? Do
scientists and technicians need to explain the telescope in detail to enable
the flight crew to give them optimum conditions?
The pilots brief with
the scientists before each flight and we are in constant communication with the
Mission Director throughout the flight. We are very cognizant of the conditions
the scientists need for the telescope to work best. Mostly, we need to get as high as possible as
soon as possible so we can get above as much of the water vapor in the
atmosphere as we can for the most optimal infrared observations. There are
constraints on the airplane, such as weight and air temperature considerations,
that affect our ability to climb with a safe performance margin, and the pilots
are constantly monitoring the conditions so we can climb as soon as it is safe.
We are also on the lookout for any high-level clout tops, which would require
closing the door to the telescope to protect it from moisture.
Turbulence doesn’t
affect the telescope as much as you would think because of the way it is
designed. The assembly is mounted on bearings in pressurized oil, so it stays
pretty stable during the bumps. In rough air, it can look like the telescope
assembly is bouncing, but it’s really the airplane bouncing around the
telescope.
We have a carefully
planned ground track, and we can’t deviate laterally without affecting the
observations, so we work with ATC to make sure they don’t try to vector us off
our heading. We are also constantly adjusting our airspeed and calibrating
turns so that we stay within 2 minutes of the planned time at each point. We
stay on headset with the Mission Director to coordinate all this with him or
her.
7.
Do you (or do flight crews in general) usually
have a lot of curiosity about the science and keep track of what’s being
produced in terms of scientific results?
The flight crew’s job
is to make sure we have the airplane safely at the right place at the right
time so the scientists can accomplish their mission observations, so our main
focus is on airplane operations. We all do a mission brief together with the
scientists, so we know what the astronomers are looking at and looking for, but
their level of knowledge is far beyond what we (or anyone below a PhD level in
astronomy) can fully comprehend. They are good at giving us a high-level
overview, but the specifics are pretty esoteric, like looking for one specific
molecule in a gas cloud. I try to distill it down to a simple and concrete explanation
so I can pass it on to ATC or other aircraft that hear our call sign (NASA747)
on the radio and often ask, “What are you looking at tonight?”
Some of the
observations will contribute to projects that have a very long timeline, so it
will be years before we know the results. That said, one of the astronomers on
a flight last month said he was able to get the information he needed to
publish a paper in the next few months, which will be fun to see. NASA is good
about notifying us when something concrete is published. It’s pretty satisfying
knowing that you played a part in a scientific discovery.
8.
You started flying when it was very rare to see
a woman in a military or airline cockpit. Are you the only woman flying SOFIA?
Do you have an advice to young women about flying or science careers?
I am still a bit of an
oddity in the cockpit, even after all these years. Right now, I am the only
woman flying as a NASA Research Pilot at the Armstrong Center, out of about 30
total full-time and part time pilots who fly the various aircraft at the Center.
This is actually close to the percentage of women flying professionally in the
military and airlines at large, which has stayed around 4-5% over the last
several decades.
It’s a mystery to me
why more women are not attracted to the aviation field, or to STEM fields in
general. One of the best things about being a pilot is that you are measured
against an objective standard, which doesn’t depend on who you are, but rather
what you can do. Pilots value and respect performance, and they will give you your
due if you can perform. There is a real advantage to operating in an
environment like that. The pilots, crews and scientists have made me feel very
welcome at Armstrong. There are plenty of women scientists and Mission
Directors, and we are all just part of the team.
My advice to young men
and women is to follow what you love and find interesting. Dream and dream
big—don’t put any limits on yourself. Someone is going to do the cool stuff, so
why shouldn’t it be you? And then take the steps required to make that dream
happen.
My favorite part of
each mission is the Mission Brief, because I get to see the enthusiasm of the
scientists describing their projects. It’s exciting and energizing! You will
find that the top two attributes of a satisfying job are People and Purpose.
This job gets an A+ on both. And for those creative types out there, just know
that technical jobs require a great deal of creativity, imagination and beauty,
so don’t cross them off your list.
Last note from Liz:
If someone would like to talk to me more about my flying
experiences, they can email me at Liz.Ruth@i3-corps.com.
I am always happy to talk to students
or anyone else interested in the flying world. I live in the San Luis Obispo
area in California, which is on the coast halfway between Los Angeles and San
Francisco.
Thanks, old friend!
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