T-33 Jet Trainer Research Aircraft Is Also instrumented For Wake Vortex Research

The National Research Council Canada Institute for Aerospace Research has added a new High-Altitude Atmospheric Research Capability (HAARC) to its Flight Research Laboratory in Ottawa. Integrated with the NRC T-33 vintage military jet trainer, HAARC will allow NRC researchers and collaborators to study turbulence and aircraft emissions at altitudes up to 40,000 feet, in an area of increasing interest as the aerospace industry works to 'green' its operations.

With its aircraft in flight test for airworthiness clearance, HAARC has been five years in the making. NRC Aerospace technical staff designed and installed pressurized, temperature-controlled canisters under each wing that allow the installation of 19-inch, rack-mountable equipment. Each canister has an integrated health monitoring system and can carry about 100 pounds.

NRC Aerospace researchers plan to use HAARC to measure black carbon, NOX and other gases at altitude, using a flask sampling system configured with four one-litre flasks, and operating with an NRC-designed controller. This capability will allow researchers to sample air quality at different altitudes, or during different segments of the flight profile, to determine the effect of altitude on emissions.

"We're pleased to add HAARC to our existing atmospheric research capabilities," said Stewart Baillie, director of the NRC Aerospace Flight Research Laboratory. "We currently have integrated sensors and systems for advanced remote sensing, in-situ cloud studies and aeromagnetics measurements. Now, we believe we can advance our knowledge of aircraft emissions in cruise under varying conditions, such as congested and uncongested areas, and at different altitudes."

Capable of high-performance and high-altitude operations, the NRC T-33 is a high-speed (to 500 KIAS), high-G (+7.33 -3.00) fully instrumented aircraft that is also equipped to gather detailed data on wake turbulence behind en-route commercial aircraft. Although most wake vortex encounters occur during takeoff and landing, a few have occurred with the aircraft in the en-route configuration. The T-33 aircraft is equipped with an advanced NRC-developed high-acquisition rate air data system.  The airframe itself is rugged and well-suited to this type of research.

The NRC Aerospace Flight Research Laboratory maintains and operates a small fleet of dedicated research aircraft, including a Falcon 20, a Convair 580, a Harvard Mark IV, a T-33, a Twin Otter, a Bell 412, a Bell 205A, a Bell 206 and an Extra 300. Researchers use these aircraft to support projects in the lab's main program areas: flight mechanics, avionics and airborne research experimentation.

FMI: www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca