The ‘Flying Auditorium’
The DLR research aircraft Cessna 208 B Grand Caravan is used for remote sensing and atmospheric research, and is particularly suitable for camera flights. During camera flights using the 3K camera system, for instance, high-resolution aerial images for a range of traffc management or disaster control applications can be taken. Using the laser measuring system (LIDAR), researchers on board the research aircraft can take wide-scale measurements of the concentration of trace gases, such as ozone.
In 2006, the aircraft was converted into a ‘flying auditorium’. Seven separate measuring stations for young scientists were installed on board for that purpose. The same project allows students to follow their experiments directly on board the aircraft.
DLR’s ‘Flying Auditorium’ is a unique system for providing advanced training to aerospace engineers, meteorologists and aircraft personnel. For that purpose it provides flight projects customised for optimal learning content, seven work stations, each with a monitor and intercom, Quicklook for real time visualisation of measured and calculated parameters, force sensors on the yoke, rudder position sensor and a full HD front-mounted camera.
In the flight training period for aerospace students, the performance data of the aircraft is established over several test units together with a flight test engineer during flight, including climbing performance, gliding flight performance, manoeuvring stability (manoeuvre point), longitudinal static stability (neutral point), phugoid oscillation (self-oscillation), Dutch roll and stalling characteristics.
In addition, meteorology students can measure small-scale meteorological phenomena on board the Cessna 208 B Grand Caravan during flight training, which can also be experienced on the Quicklook display: composition of the atmospheric boundary layer, turbulence, föhn wind, valley wind.
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Oliver Brieger · E-Mail: oliver.brieger@dlr.de · DLR.de/en
