.. _specifying-your-requirements:

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Specifying Your Requirements
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If you are thinking about a science flying project with the FAAM Airborne Laboratory, it's best to contact us as early as possible in your planning process. We provide support and guidance throughout the application and planning process, and tailor our services to your needs. When we first discuss your project, we can help you to work out what your flying requirements will be. We will then ask you to complete a standard form to capture everything FAAM and the aircraft operators need to know to assess the feasibility of your project. 

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The FAAM Application Form
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The FAAM Application Form is a standard form that we use to begin the planning of a flying project. We can support you in completing the form, and FAAM will not have a role in assessing the scientific merit of your plans. Our role is to help you make the best use of the facility, understand the practicalities of what is required, and calculate the likely costs. There are opportunities to refine your plans and requirements during the planning process (see Planning Timeline section below), so the initial contents of the form will not necessarily set anything in stone. Project plans can change through an iterative process as we work together to find the optimum way to get the measurements you need. 

There are two versions of the form, 'outline' and 'full'. The access route and stage of the funding application will determine which version you will need to fill in. FAAM will advise you on this, and will prepare and share a blank form, as a Google Sheet, specifically for your project. The Outline Application Form will have two tabs in the Google Sheet; the Full Application Form will have four. An example of the first tab of both versions is shown below.

.. figure:: static/images/faam_form.png
   :alt: FAAM Application Form
   :width: 100%
   :align: center

   Example of the first tab of the FAAM Application Form.

After you complete the signature section, the FAAM Application Form will be circulated among FAAM’s Technical and Operations teams, Airtask, and the Head of FAAM to assess the project's feasibility. When the project is deemed achievable, the Head of FAAM and the FAAM Operations Manager will prepare a technical assessment letter, which is often included in the funding application (e.g. to NERC).

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Cost Estimates
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Once you have completed the FAAM Application Form, the FAAM Operations team will produce a budget estimate, including a 10% contingency plus the predicted CPI inflation rate. A PDF of this breakdown will be sent to the PI to ensure they are informed about the project's costs. The types of costs that are included in this budget estimate will depend on the access route, see the :ref:`applying-to-use-the-facility` chapter for more details.