The DLR Flight Operations, based in Braunschweig and Oberpfaffenhofen, is responsible for the operation of highly modified research aircraft. These aircraft serve either as a platform for installation of scientific equipment for various purposes, such as earth observation or atmospheric research, or they are in the focus of aeronautical research themselves.
The Flight Operations offers scientific service to research programs within DLR, as well as to other national or international institutions, authorities and industrial customers. The German Civil Aviation Authority (LBA) approved the DLR Flight Operations as a Maintenance Organization, which enables the Department to carry out several maintenance tasks self-dependently. In cooperation with the DLR Design Organization, the installation and certification of scientific modifications in the aircraft can be processed on own authority, too.
Operating the largest fleet of research aircraft in Europe, the DLR Flight Operations is a member of the European Fleet for Airborne Research in Geoscience (EUFAR) and of the European Research Establishments of Aviation (EREA).