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.