Tim has posted a further update on his MET site
http://www.weathergraphics.com/tim/af447/ with a specific request for assistance from the pilot community.
Could somebody report this on R&N please? I have no access to it. Thx Bert
Update / June 9, 2009:
Myself (Ed: TIM) and Scott Bachmeier at University of Wisconsin/Space Science and Engineering Center are requesting that airline pilots who observed a significant warming episode at cruise altitude within the past 10 years and know the exact date/time and approximate location please drop us an e-mail with the story and include your credentials (which will remain anonymous). Unfortunately we must have an exact date and time in order to research the event. I have received a number of anecdotes from pilots who report encountering the phenomena, and while neither of us see evidence yet which supports this occurring in the Air France 447 storm cluster we believe it's a good idea to research this further rather than just dismissing it at this point. We appreciate your help.