NASA's ER-2 high-altitude flying laboratory, which
has been extensively used to study and document weather and other
natural phenomena, will be a part of this year's Experimental
Aircraft Association (EAA) fly-in convention, EAA AirVenture
Oshkosh, which will be held July 29-August 4 at Wittman Regional
Airport in Oshkosh.
The ER-2 is a modified version of the Lockheed U-2, best known
as a high-altitude spyplane used by the U.S. military. The ER-2 is
based at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, California,
but has been deployed around the world for research projects. The
airplane will arrive at EAA AirVenture at after the air show on
Tuesday afternoon, July 29, and remain at the event until
AirVenture's final day, Monday, August 4.
"NASA has been an active participant at EAA AirVenture for many
years, giving attendees a glimpse of aircraft and projects not
usually on up-close display to the public," said Tom Poberezny, EAA
President and AirVenture Chairman. "The ER-2 is an outstanding
example of how the wonders of flight can be used to further
knowledge of our world and its natural processes. As we celebrate
the centennial of powered flight at EAA AirVenture, this airplane
shows how aviation is more than simply transportation for people
from place to place."
NASA obtained its first ER-2 in 1981 and added a second in 1989.
Since 1991, the aircraft have been used for airborne research for
such topics as Earth's environmental system, ozone depletion over
Antarctica and improving hurricane predictions. Data and photos
obtained by the research projects have been used by NASA, the U.S.
Forest Service, Environmental Protection Agency, as well as
numerous other domestic and international agencies.
The ER-2 typically operates at altitudes above
65,000 feet, flying above 95 percent of the earth's atmosphere.
That allows the aircraft to use many of the same sensors similar to
those used by orbiting satellites. While the airplane's flights are
usually not publicized, the ER-2 did set a world-altitude record
for medium-weight aircraft on Nov. 19, 1998, when it reached a
height of 68,700 feet above sea level.
While the ER-2 is at Oshkosh, NASA personnel will also be on
hand to talk about the airplane, its capabilities and some of the
missions it has flown around the world. The aircraft will be parked
at AeroShell Square.