Research aircraft

NORCE have operating permits for both RPAS (Drones) and manned aircraft issued by the Norwegian Civil Aviation Authority. This implies that NORCE has an approved flight organization with post holders and management systems required under Aviation Norwegian Law and operates in compliance with EASA regulation.

NORCE has its own research aircraft stationed in Tromsø. NORCE has also instrumented the Lufttransport Dornier aircraft stationed in Longyearbyen, as part of the SIOS-InfraNor project.

The research aircraft and infrastructure are available for use in collaborative research projects with other institutions.

The Vulcanair aircraft, which is stationed in Tromsø, operates as a research aircraft for NORCE and research partners. The aircraft is available for use in different research projects both in and outside Norway. NORCE has specialists in measurement technology who will collaborate with researchers with domain knowledge on the right strategy for data collection. The aircraft have room for 2-4 people and about 150 kg payload. Data can be collected and analyzed in real time, which allows for adjustments in the data collection procedures and efficient utlization of flight time.

Current payload includes:

• Hyspex hyperspectral imaging with 32 degree field of view.
• PhaseOne medium format RGB camera.
• GNSS Applanix POS AV 510 navigation system.
• 4G modem

The aircraft has a corporate flight license (non commercial). This means that the users of the aircraft's infrastructure must include NORCE as a partner in the research project.

Photo: Rune Rolvsjord / NORCE

The Lufttransport aircraft is the world's first passenger aircraft with high-resolution sensors and advanced communication equipment that is usually only found on board satellites. The aircraft is configured to obtain aerial photographs and hyperspectral remote sensing data in addition to the normal transport operation. The aircraft flies regular flights from Longyearbyen to Ny-Ålesund and Svea, as well as around 20 flights a year to Station Nord in Greenland.

Current payload includes:

• Hyspex hyperspectral imaging with 32 degree field of view
• PhaseOne medium format RGB camera
• GNSS Applanix POS AV 410 navigation system
• Radionor CRE2-179-UAV Broadband Radio (5.862 GHz)
• Kongsberg Seatex AIS-300