The HIAPER Project Office (HPO) was established in February 2002 following the appointment of Krista Laursen as the HIAPER Project Director. Following her appointment, Ms. Laursen brought on board a team of staff members to fill core positions in the Project Office. (See the Staff Members section of this site for information on the individual HIAPER Project Office staff members.)

Ms. Laursen and the other Project Office staff reported to the NCAR Director, Timothy Killeen, and were charged with overseeing the acquisition and modification of HIAPER. Additional responsibilities of the HIAPER Project Office staff included the following:

• Setting and monitoring the project schedule and budget;
• Serving as the primary point of contact with the aircraft manufacturer (Gulfstream) and modifier (Lockheed Martin) in all technical/engineering discussions;
• Providing status reports as needed to NSF, the UCAR Board of Trustees, UCAR and NCAR management, and UCAR/NCAR staff;
• Representing the HIAPER project to the scientific and general communities and providing information on the aircraft and its planned capabilities as required.