Data Collection and Dissemination 



During the 1983 Ice Patrol season (1 October 

 1982 through 30 September 1983), 117 aircraft 

 sorties were flown in support of the Interna- 

 tional Ice Patrol. These included pre-season 

 flights, ice observation and logistics flights 

 during the season, and post-season flights. Pre- 

 season flights determined iceberg concentra- 

 tions north of 48°N, necessary to estimate the 

 time when icebergs would threaten the North 

 Atlantic shipping lanes in the vicinity of the 

 Grand Banks of Newfoundland. During the ac- 

 tive season, ice observation flights located the 

 southwestern, southern, and southeastern 

 limits of icebergs. Logistics flights were 

 necessary for unusual aircraft maintenance. 

 Post-season flights were made to retrieve parts 

 and equipment from Gander and to close out all 



business transactions from the season. Table 2 

 shows aircraft utilization during the 1983 

 season. 



U. S. Coast Guard C-130 aircraft, deployed 

 from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, 

 North Carolina, conducted the aerial ice recon- 

 naissance. U. S. Coast Guard HU-25A aircraft, 

 deployed from Coast Guard Air Station Cape 

 Cod, Massachusetts, were used on a trial basis 

 on one deployment. This medium-range jet air- 

 craft was found to be cheaper to operate and 

 more comfortable than the C-130, but was in- 

 capable of conducting an extensive search of a 

 large area and was not considered as reliable 

 as the C-130 in poor flying conditions generally 

 encountered in the Ice Patrol area. Both aircraft 

 operated from Gander, Newfoundland. 



Table 2 

 Aerial Ice Reconnaissance From 1 October 1982 to 30 September 1983 



Ice Reconnaissance Flights Number of Flights Number of Hours Flown 



Pre-season 



In-season 



Post-season 



Total 



12 



103 



2 



117 



62.5 



621.0 



13.5 



697.0 



Note- In-season ICERECDET flights include transit and logistics flights to and from Gander dur- 

 ing the Ice Patrol season. There were 73 sorties dedicated solely to ice reconnaissance, 

 with a total of 427.9 flight hours. They are summarized as follows: 



Month 



FEB 

 MAR 

 APR 

 MAY 

 JUN 

 JUL 

 AUG 



Ice Recon Flights 



2 



9 



7 



13 

 12 

 20 

 10 



Totals 



73 



