FAAM is the result of a collaboration between the Met Office^(TM) and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and has been established as part of the National Centre for Atmospheric Sciences (NCAS) to provide an aircraft measurement platform for use by all the UK atmospheric research community on campaigns throughout the world.

The modified BAe 146-301 large Atmospheric Research Aircraft (the ARA) is owned by BAE Systems and operated for them by Directflight. Our Home Base is at Cranfield University, Bedfordshire.

Applications

• Radiative transfer studies in clear and cloudy air
• Tropospheric chemistry measurements
• Cloud physics and dynamic studies
• Dynamics of mesoscale weather systems
• Boundary layer and turbulence studies
• Remote sensing: verification of ground based instruments
• Satellite ground truth: radiometric measurements and winds
• Satellite instrument test-bed
• Campaigns in the UK and abroad