has its own design
organisation for this.
“The G550 is
completely booked out
until 2019 – there’s not
a single day we can
spare because the
schedule is so tight,”
remarked Brieger. “If
we’re talking a six-week
mission, we usually
conduct three to four
a year, but that also
involves preparation
time prior. The aircraft
is probably on the
ground being modified
for two months at least
prior to the mission.”
The scientists on
board are supplied by the institutes carrying
out the research and the number depends
on the type of mission being flown.
“We have a risk classification for each
type of flight,” explained Brieger. “Some
flights require minimum crew, depending on
the risk level assigned.”RECENT MISSIONS
Last summer DLR used HALO for research
into the distribution and conversion of
emissions from London, Rome, the Ruhr
region and other European urban areas to
help scientists better understand and more
accurately predict the extent and effects of
air pollution from populated areas on Earth’s
atmosphere.
For this project, the G550 operated from
Oberpfaffenhofen, flying at progressively
higher altitudes, starting at around 3,280ft
(1,000m).
Frank Probst from the DLR Flight
Experiments Facility, explained: “In cities
such as London or a heavily populated areasuch as the Ruhr
region, this needs
detailed planning and
the approval of the
relevant local air traffic
control authority, as
we are carrying out
measurement flights
in very crowded
airspace.”
The mission also
required the flights to
be conducted under
cloud-free skies,
enabling the aircraft
to fly into the exhaust
plumes of the cities.
DLR’s research over
London included work
in conjunction with
the British Facility for Airborne Atmospheric
Measurements (FAAM) BAe 146, G-FAAM.
In October HALO relocated to Shannon,
Ireland, from where it flew missions over
the Atlantic measuring the transport and
mixing of greenhouse gases in the upper
troposphere and lower stratosphere. Using
DLR-developed differential absorption
LIDAR, scientists were able to simultaneously
measure water vapour and ozone. The aim
of the campaign was to enable scientists to
define climate models more accurately.
The campaign comprised 17 flights,
each lasting between nine and ten hours
and, with the assistance of air traffic control,
HALO was able to fly above the swathes
of commercial aircraft making transatlantic
crossings.
DLR’s fleet of specialist aircraft will
continue to play a key role as scientists and
researchers gain a better understanding of
the natural world and continue to push the
boundaries of technology and the way we
use it.40 Aviation News incorporating Jets February 2018DLR FLEET
Registration Type
D-1633 DG 300 Elan-17
D-9833 Discus-2c DLR
D-ADLR HALO Gulfstream G550
D-ATRA Airbus A320-232
D-CFFU Dornier Do 228-21 2
D-CMET Dassault Falcon 20E
D-CODE Dornier Do 228-1 01
D-EDVE DR400/200R Remorqueur
D-FDLR Cessna 208B Grand Caravan
D-HDDP Bölkow Bo105
D-HFHS Eurocopter EC135
D-KDLR Antares DLR-H2Above: DLR’s EC135 is being used for research
into new control schemes for helicopters, such
as flying with active sidesticks.
Below: Falcon 20, D-CMET, the oldest testbed
in the fleet, rests in the hangar at Kiruna in
North Sweden, during a campaign measuring
the ozone over the North Pole. The research
was conducted in conjunction with the G550
HALO.36-40_dlrDC.mfDC.indd 40 05/01/2018 16:54