The Dassault Falcon 20E (registration D-CMET) has been extensively modified for use in research by DLR. The DLR flight facility in Oberpfaffenhofen primarily uses it for atmospheric research. International research teams measure trace gases and aerosols directly from on board the aircraft, and they collect air samples for subsequent laboratory analysis.
The smallest aircraft of DLR's Oberpfaffenhofen flight facility is a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, registration D-FDLR. The single-engine turboprop aircraft is mainly used by the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) for remote sensing. It is especially well suited for camera flights, such as those with the HRSC (High Resolution Stereo Camera), operated by DLR and also used in space missions.
The five-seater Eurocopter BO 105 helicopter is based on a light, multi-purpose utility helicopter made by Messerschmitt-Bölkow Blohm GmbH (MBB), and has been significantly modified for its use as a universal research platform by the German Aerospace Center's (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) Braunschweig flight facility.
The Antares DLR-H2 research aircraft is the first crewed plane worldwide that is entirely powered by fuel cells. Because of its unique powertrain, it can take off, fly, and land without emitting any CO2.
Parabolic flights were originally instigated to train astronauts in weightlessness (zero gravity). Now they are used primarily for scientific experiments in weightlessness (microgravity) and for testing space technologies.