The NASA DC-8 aircraft is a four-engine jet with a range in excess of 5000 nautical miles (9,200 Kilometers), a ceiling of 41,000 feet (12,500 meters), an and experimental payload of 30,000 lb. (13,600 kilograms). The aircraft is managed by the Airborne Science Program at Dryden Flight Research Center. During PEM-West A the aircraft was operated below 28,000 feet to minimize flight through commercial aircraft corridors, and flight duration was typically 7.5 hours with the particular flight profiles designed to meet particular mission objectives. Instrumentation aboard the DC-8 during PEM-West A are illustrated below.