Cranfield University Takes Ownership Of New Flying Classroom And Laboratory | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-06.23.25

Airborne-NextGen-06.24.25

AirborneUnlimited-06.25.25

Airborne-AffordableFlyers-06.26.25

AirborneUnlimited-06.27.25

Fri, Dec 13, 2019

Cranfield University Takes Ownership Of New Flying Classroom And Laboratory

NFLC Fleet Expansion Became A Reality This Month With The Transfer Of Ownership Of Its Latest Asset, A Saab 340B Aircraft

Cranfield University has been fundraising this year for a replacement to their aging Jetstream 31, which operates from Cranfield’s Global Research Airport. The facility is unique in the U.K. by providing aerospace engineering students from over 20 Universities and Cranfield with invaluable flight test experience as a flying classroom.

Further funding is needed in order to complete the modifications of the aircraft to support the next generation of aero-engineers. Being larger than the Jetstream 31, the Saab 340B will allow the NFLC to accommodate more students on each flight and create new research capabilities, including potentially in collaboration with other universities. The flying laboratory also undertakes research projects testing the development of aerospace technologies and flight operations.

"Students get to experience for themselves what they have studied and it brings their calculations to life.  Its invaluable experience and provides graduates with the skills required for careers in aerospace," said Helen Atkinson, Pro-Vice-Chancellor - School of Aerospace, Transport and Manufacturing. “A number of stakeholders who employ graduates, including some of the U.K.’s leading aerospace companies and many of the universities who fly with us, have already agreed to help us towards our fundraising target - along with the major upfront commitment from Cranfield itself. Now we need our friends and alumni to help us to complete our fundraising campaign for this important national flying laboratory and classroom.”

This week, the University announced it had been awarded its sixth Queen’s Anniversary Prize for its work supporting the nation’s aero-engineering students through the use of the NFLC facilities. The Queen’s Anniversary Prizes are the U.K.’s most prestigious form of national recognition open to a U.K. academic or vocational institution.

The modifications to ensure the aircraft is upgraded from a standard commercial plane to a fully bespoke facility, with all the technical equipment necessary to ensure the testing of the boundaries of aviation, continues at Saab in Sweden. Its delivery to Cranfield University is expected mid-2020.

The relationship between Saab and Cranfield is well established with the University opening the first U.K. digital control tower at Cranfield Airport in December 2018.  Supplied by Saab Digital Air Traffic Solutions, the innovative technology replicates what can be seen through the windows of a traditional air traffic control tower. Saab is also a partner in the Digital Aviation Research Technology Center (DARTeC) under construction at Cranfield.

(Image provided with Cranfield University news release)

FMI: www.cranfield.ac.uk

Advertisement

More News

NTSB Prelim: Piper PA-23

Pilot Also Reported That Due To A Fuel Leak, The Auxiliary Fuel Tanks Were Not Used On June 4, 2025, at 13:41 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA-23, N2109P, was substantially damage>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: One Man’s Vietnam

From 2023 (YouTube Edition): Reflections on War’s Collective Lessons and Cyclical Nature The exigencies of war ought be colorblind. Inane social-constructs the likes of racis>[...]

NTSB Final Report: Capella Aircraft Corp FW1C50

Pilot Reported That He Was Unfamiliar With The Single Seat Amateur-Built Airplane And His Intent Was To Perform High-Speed Taxi Testing Analysis: The pilot reported that he was unf>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: Timber Tiger Touts Curtiss Jenny Replicas

From 2023 (YouTube Edition): First Kits to Ship October 2023 Having formerly resurrected the storied shape of the Ryan ST—in effigy, anyway—Montrose, Colorado-based Tim>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (07.04.25): Performance-Based Navigation (PBN) [ICAO]

Performance-Based Navigation (PBN) [ICAO] Area navigation based on performance requirements for aircraft operating along an ATS route, on an instrument approach procedure or in a d>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC