What is the FAAM Airborne Laboratory?

The FAAM Airborne Laboratory is a world-class research facility dedicated to the advancement of atmospheric science. We operate a unique BAe 146-301 atmospheric research aircraft, capable of making measurements from 50 feet to 35,000 feet, almost anywhere in the world. Our team of scientists, engineers, technicians, operations specialists and admin staff provide a complete package of support for the scientific community.

The facility is owned and funded by UK Research and Innovation and the Natural Environment Research Council (UKRI-NERC), managed through the National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS), and leased through the University of Leeds.

The aircraft is supported, modified, and upgraded by BAE Systems, operated by Airtask Group, and maintained by Avalon Aero. This means that the pilots and cabin crew as well as some of the operational staff involved in flight planning are Airtask staff rather than FAAM staff. Avalon Aero provides engineers who carry out day-to-day maintenance, get the aircraft ready to fly, and meet it when it lands. The FAAM Airborne Laboratory is based at Cranfield Airport/Cranfield University in Bedfordshire.

We serve NERC-funded scientists working in UK universities, commercial partners, and other research organisations and facilities. We can also provide services to UK government bodies.

We offer users a complete package of support and access to world-class measurement technology to tackle some of the most difficult problems in atmospheric science. We provide the scientific community with access to the research aircraft, ground-based laboratory facilities, access to data and a dedicated support team to deliver their research projects.

Data collected by the facility is supplied in standard netCDF format and archived at the Centre for Environmental Data Analysis.