NOAA's Gulfstream Turbo (Jet Prop) Commander is a high-wing, twin-engine turboprop that is suitable for a variety of missions. The aircraft plays a vital role in collecting data vital to flooding forecasts and water resource management.

A standard crew compliment is comprised of two pilots and one observer in addition to the survey equipment. If conditions warrant, an additional crew member can be added. Although its home base is the NOAA Aircraft Operations Center in Lakeland, Florida, this aircraft spends the majority of its time supporting the National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center (NOHRSC) throughout the United States and Canada.

NOHRSC conducts airborne surveys between October and May collecting snow water equivalent measurements in the snow affected regions. These highly accurate values collected over the 2000+ flight lines using a gamma radiation detector are ultimately used by the National Weather Service's River Forecasting Centers and other agencies to forecast river levels, water flow, and potential flooding events when the snow melts.

The aircraft also supports the NOHRSC office in the summer months by collecting background soil moisture information, which helps determine water levels when snow is not present. In addition to the Snow Survey mission, the Jet Prop also supports emergency response tasking, and a gravity measuring survey (GRAV-D) which establishes vertical datums and measures orthometric heights over time which is used by NOAA for cartography and calibrating GPS.