The DLR Cessna 208 B Grand Caravan the smallest aircraft stationed at Oberpfaffenhofen. It is a single-engine turboprop aircraft which, due to numerous modifications and additional sensors, is an efficient and robust carrier platform for measurements in the lower troposphere.
The large non-pressurized cabin with its rectangular cross-section is particularly suitable for research in the field of atmospheric trace gases and for remote sensing applications. For this purpose, it has various fuselage openings (camera shafts downward), possibilities for additional air intakes (including at an external load station on the right wing) and instrument installations.
The aircraft cabin can accommodate instruments and computers for conducting experiments in custom-built racks, while the onboard electrical system provides the necessary power supply. A large amount of flight data is recorded by an integrated measurement system and is immediately available for experimental purposes. Of particular importance for atmospheric research are the precisely calibrated wind and turbulence measurements with a 5-hole probe at the tip of the red and white mast under the left wing. Highly accurate sensors for temperature and humidity also provide indispensable meteorological data. These baseline data are visualized on in-flight screens on the seat backs, making it easier for the experimenters to adjust the route during the flight by having a detailed knowledge of the current atmospheric conditions.
The aircraft, equipped for VFR/IFR flights, is capable of low-speed flight and has a specially modified exhaust system to not interfere with measurements in or near the cabin. The Cessna is used by the Institute of Atmospheric Physics mainly for measurements in the atmospheric boundary layer (lower 1-2 km) over land. Among other things, studies have been conducted on the emission of greenhouse gases from the coal industry and major German cities.
Technical details: DLR - Flight experiments - Cessna