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 TRACE-A the maximum altitude was about 31,000 feet, and flight duration was typically 7.5 hours with a particular flight profile designed to meet a give mission objective(s). Instrumentation aboard the DC-8 during TRACE-A is illustrated below.