October 7, 2011 - G-V's first Icebridge flight The NSF/NCAR Gulfstream V (G-V) on the ramp at the Punta Arenas, Chili airport. The G-V aircraft with the LVIS lidar mapping system took off at 8:58 AM local time on a 9 hr flight to the Thwaites glacier. They will fly at 40-45,000 ft altitude at speeds up to 500 kts to map a grid of surface elevation on Thwaites glacier. Credit: NASA/Dr. Michelle Hofton