Fletcher started a Texas-based company, ARRAE, after his retirement. ARRAE provides emergency aerial support as well as research and development test-platforms for the EPA.

The infrared technology the ASPECT team works with can detect where and how thick the oil is, he said.

“It helps first responders know what to do and what equipment to bring,” said Robert Stephens, another previously retired team member who started his own consultant company, which works with ARRAE.

Team member Dave Wheeler, a retiree from corporate America, also works with ARRAE.

He said the original mission was to go down and check out the situation for about a day.

They were asked to stay for a couple days longer and then another week. They’ve been on the Mississippi Coast for more than two months now.

“It’s very patriotic that these people have retired and came back to help us in this time of need,” said Bob Kroutil, a research scientist with the ASPECT team.

“The experience this group has is unparalleled,” Stephens said.

The three retirees formerly served in the armed forces and have worked in the private sector for decades.

The ASPECT team has 12 members. Kroutil said Unified Command instructs the team where to go to collect data, which is transmitted immediately via satellite to the Coast Guard so it can determine where to send vessels for cleanup efforts.

There had been 61 flights as of Friday afternoon, Kroutil said. The team flies daily unless the weather is bad.

Photos and data from the infrared technology also are uploaded onto Google Earth for public access.

The plane the team uses is an Aero Commander 680. Stephens said the plane’s technology was originally set up to detect chemical compounds in the air, but it was altered be able to detect the oil as it flies over the Gulf.

“The equipment is unique and can be adapted to the situation at hand,” Stephens said.

The plane can fly under the clouds and get images the satellites cannot, he said.

The technology can determine whether a substance floating in the Gulf is actually oil, or algae or other substances.

The technology has been employed to help with hurricanes, storms, forest fires, and other emergency events.

“This is the first time it has been used on any oil spill,” Stephens said.

Kroutil said Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Miss., has helped the team secure a second plane to aid in their efforts.

“Congressman Taylor has been really key in helping us develop this technology,” Kroutil said. “The second plane will improve the collection capabilities,” he said.

The team plans to have the second plane up and running in the next week or so. Kroutil said they are also look toward developing new software and enhancing the speed of the data process.