Our routine test flights can be used by researchers for science applications.

FAAM Airborne Laboratory maintains a small number of hours to support instrument testing and to ensure flight crew currency in support of funded projects. We seek to make best use of these flights, and offer access to unfunded users if you are able to carry out scientific research at the same time as the FAAM team’s needs are met.

Process

If you have an idea for research that could be carried out during an instrument testing or crew currency flight, please submit a brief outline of what you have in mind.

If your idea is feasible, we will ask you to submit a sortie brief in advance of any potential flying, so that it can be reviewed by operations staff and pilots, and ready to schedule at short notice. Where the facility receives multiple proposals of this type, they will be accommodated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Typically only one or two flights will be conducted. Please note that we are unable to offer dedicated staff support (e.g. training, helping to create sortie briefs) to users of these testing hours, and new FAAM users may be better supported via our Research Runway scheme.

Costs

FAAM cannot usually provide funding to cover travel costs or costs associated with basing the aircraft at a non-Cranfield location.

Users should expect flights within core 11am to 4pm hours at Cranfield, with no additional costs (for example, as would be incurred by refuelling at another airport) unless they are able to provide their own sources of funding.

See what our aircraft is capable of…

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