"The Alpha Jet aircraft owned and operated by Partner offers unique capabilities due to its performance and altitude range, coupled with the proficiency of the pilots in high-performance and formation flying. The combination of aircraft and pilot capabilities allows ARC to design unique sampling profiles to study the Earth's atmosphere from the surface up to 51,000 ft in very tightly defined columns. This sort of profiling is valuable for comparison with satellite observations and for exploring small-scale phenomena at various altitudes."
"The Alpha Jet aircraft owned and operated by Partner offers unique capabilities due to its performance and altitude range, coupled with the proficiency of the pilots in high-performance and formation flying. The combination of aircraft and pilot capabilities allows ARC to design unique sampling profiles to study the Earth's atmosphere from the surface up to 51,000 ft in very tightly defined columns. This sort of profiling is valuable for comparison with satellite observations and for exploring small-scale phenomena at various altitudes."
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/pdf/675605main_SAA2-402663....
The Gulfstream flights to Tahiti are less credible.