weather modification plane specs - please help me.

Hi. My name is Steve Davies, I am a writer. I am currently working on
a story about weather modification in the Sahara desert. A pilot in a
weather modification lands in a Sahelian village to refuel. The story
is about villagers' different attitudes to what he is doing.

I am appealing to you experts for a bit of plane info, because I know
nothing about this area. What kind of plane would be used for weather
modification programs in a developing country (dumping silver iodide
crystals on clouds to precipitate rain)? Can you suggest a model name
so that I can find out more? What kind of fuel would it take? Is it
conceivable that it could run on normal motor gas or diesel?! what
would it look like? Is it possible there would be just one man
piloting it?

Any help you could give me would be hugely appreciated.

thank you.

Steve

On 19 Oct 2004 05:28:17 -0700, (sahelsteve)
wrote:

Hi. My name is Steve Davies, I am a writer. I am currently working on
a story about weather modification in the Sahara desert. A pilot in a
weather modification lands in a Sahelian village to refuel. The story
is about villagers' different attitudes to what he is doing.

I am appealing to you experts for a bit of plane info, because I know
nothing about this area. What kind of plane would be used for weather
modification programs in a developing country (dumping silver iodide
crystals on clouds to precipitate rain)? Can you suggest a model name
so that I can find out more? What kind of fuel would it take? Is it
conceivable that it could run on normal motor gas or diesel?! what
would it look like? Is it possible there would be just one man
piloting it?

Any help you could give me would be hugely appreciated.

thank you.

Steve


Is what your writing fact or fiction?

z

zatatime wrote in message . ..
On 19 Oct 2004 05:28:17 -0700, (sahelsteve)
wrote:

Hi. My name is Steve Davies, I am a writer. I am currently working on
a story about weather modification in the Sahara desert. A pilot in a
weather modification lands in a Sahelian village to refuel. The story
is about villagers' different attitudes to what he is doing.

I am appealing to you experts for a bit of plane info, because I know
nothing about this area. What kind of plane would be used for weather
modification programs in a developing country (dumping silver iodide
crystals on clouds to precipitate rain)? Can you suggest a model name
so that I can find out more? What kind of fuel would it take? Is it
conceivable that it could run on normal motor gas or diesel?! what
would it look like? Is it possible there would be just one man
piloting it?

Any help you could give me would be hugely appreciated.

thank you.

Steve


Is what your writing fact or fiction?

z

Fiction based on fact. I have lived in Burkina Faso for three years,
but returned to England this year. I know that five years ago Blaise
Campaore (president of Burkina) asked the Moroccan government for help
in producing rain, and that was the beginning of Operation Saga, an
annual operation sending planes up to 'fatten' the clouds with silver
iodide and then fly into them to disturb the air and precipitate rain.
Interesting project, sometimes successful. (sometimes not - last year
there was flooding in Mali which the Malian government blamed on
Operation Saga!).

You can read about the technical issues involved he
http://www.rbs2.com/w2.htm


but I am having problems finding info on the actual planes involved,
and whether it is even remotely possible that a plane would run out of
fuel and land in a village to fill up with Motor gas.

Thanks for showing an interest, z.

On 20 Oct 2004 01:48:52 -0700, (sahelsteve)
wrote:

zatatime wrote in message . ..
On 19 Oct 2004 05:28:17 -0700, (sahelsteve)
wrote:

Hi. My name is Steve Davies, I am a writer. I am currently working on
a story about weather modification in the Sahara desert. A pilot in a
weather modification lands in a Sahelian village to refuel. The story
is about villagers' different attitudes to what he is doing.

I am appealing to you experts for a bit of plane info, because I know
nothing about this area. What kind of plane would be used for weather
modification programs in a developing country (dumping silver iodide
crystals on clouds to precipitate rain)? Can you suggest a model name
so that I can find out more? What kind of fuel would it take? Is it
conceivable that it could run on normal motor gas or diesel?! what
would it look like? Is it possible there would be just one man
piloting it?

Any help you could give me would be hugely appreciated.

thank you.

Steve


Is what your writing fact or fiction?

z

Fiction based on fact. I have lived in Burkina Faso for three years,
but returned to England this year. I know that five years ago Blaise
Campaore (president of Burkina) asked the Moroccan government for help
in producing rain, and that was the beginning of Operation Saga, an
annual operation sending planes up to 'fatten' the clouds with silver
iodide and then fly into them to disturb the air and precipitate rain.
Interesting project, sometimes successful. (sometimes not - last year
there was flooding in Mali which the Malian government blamed on
Operation Saga!).

You can read about the technical issues involved he
http://www.rbs2.com/w2.htm


but I am having problems finding info on the actual planes involved,
and whether it is even remotely possible that a plane would run out of
fuel and land in a village to fill up with Motor gas.

Thanks for showing an interest, z.


It'll have to be *loosely based on fact* given that 85% of the
research done has not been published. Anyway, as far as a plane being
able to fly on mogas, yes it is possible. It has to be a
reciprocating aircraft (not a turbo-prop, or jet). The likely hood of
the scenario you provided is unlikely, however it is possible (which I
guess will make for a better book). A plane could land in a village,
and re-fuel with mogas. I'll leave all the details to your further
research and ability to create a story around that basic fact.

As far as type of airplane; for warm cloud seeding it looks like
you've got to toss a huge chunk of "stuff" into the cloud to be at all
effective. Agricultural aircraft (crop dusters), or fire fighting
aircraft I think would be the best at doing this. An Ag-Cat is one
type of plane that could do this (and run on mogas) but I don't know
if it has a large enough carrying capacity to make it practical. Do
some research on crop dusting and fire fighting airplanes, study the
numbers and chose one or two that look plausible (don't forget they
can't be turbo-props or jets if you want them to burn mogas).

Cloud seeding is also done in Colorado (USA) in the winter to create
better skiing conditions. Don't know if it helps you, but may be one
more place to learn about equipment. They do clod cloud seeding, so
its a significantly different application, but it might help.

HTH you, and I appreciate the link you provided. I learned alot about
cloud seeding I never knew before!

z

(If you get on the NY Times best seller list, or make a Hollywood
movie, I want 10% for Professional Consultation).

P.S. Silver iodide isn't the best choice for warm cloud seeding, so
while it could help, I don't think it would prove effective enough in
that type of application to create a flood. Could it happen? Sure,
there's alot still unknown about seeding, Is it likely in a warm
seeding application? Not based on what is known.

sahelsteve wrote:

I am appealing to you experts for a bit of plane info, because I know
nothing about this area. What kind of plane would be used for weather
modification programs

the proteus by Scaled Composites, able to stay in flight for a long
time. maybe an UAv like the Predator that can stay 16 hours on teh
target .... i feel foolish answering :-)

--
Fritz

zatatime wrote in message news:

It'll have to be *loosely based on fact* given that 85% of the
research done has not been published. Anyway, as far as a plane being
able to fly on mogas, yes it is possible.

Brilliant.

Agricultural aircraft (crop dusters), or fire fighting
aircraft I think would be the best at doing this. An Ag-Cat is one
type of plane that could do this (and run on mogas) but I don't know
if it has a large enough carrying capacity to make it practical. Do
some research on crop dusting and fire fighting airplanes, study the
numbers and chose one or two that look plausible (don't forget they
can't be turbo-props or jets if you want them to burn mogas).

Thank you SO MUCH, z. I am indebted to you. If you like I will email
you the finished story - it is for the Fish Short Story competition
http://www.fishpublishing.com/ I will certainly credit you in any
success the piece has!
My own website is http://www.vooiceinthedesert.org.uk

Thanks again,

Steve

(Fritz) wrote in message ...
sahelsteve wrote:

I am appealing to you experts for a bit of plane info, because I know
nothing about this area. What kind of plane would be used for weather
modification programs

the proteus by Scaled Composites, able to stay in flight for a long
time. maybe an UAv like the Predator that can stay 16 hours on teh
target .... i feel foolish answering :-)

I very much appreciate your doing so! People like you make the Internet worthwhile.

Steve

On 21 Oct 2004 00:51:15 -0700, (sahelsteve)
wrote:

I will certainly credit you in any
success the piece has!


No credit necessary. If this is for a fish story, you've got the
makings of a good one! Glad to hear you're not one of those "trying
to sell fiction as fact," based on fact authors.

Good Luck,
z