Aerospace

Lufthansa turning Airbus A350-900 into a Flying Research Lab

Lufthansa orders 22 latest-generation long-haul aircraft with list price of $7.5 billion

Lufthansa turning Airbus A350-900 into a Flying Research Lab: Lufthansa and several research institutes, converting an Airbus A350-900 into a climate research aircraft to predict the weather even more accurately, analyzing climate changes even more precisely and researching even better how the world is developing.

Conversion of “D-AIXJ” has begun:

Converting an aircraft into a climate research plane poses major challenges. Lufthansa has chosen the most modern and economical long-haul jet in its fleet – an Airbus A350-900 named “Erfurt” (registration D-AIXJ). In three stages, the “Erfurt” will now become a flying research laboratory.

Lufthansa turning Airbus A350-900 into a Flying Research Lab

Courtesy: Lufthansa

In Lufthansa Technik’s hangar in Malta, preparations were made for a complex air intake system below the belly. The aircraft weighs in around 1.6 tons container with measuring equipment. The so-called CARIBIC measurement laboratory, acronym “Civil Aircraft for the Regular Investigation of the Atmosphere Based on an Instrument Container”

The “Erfurt” is expected to take off from Munich at the end of 2021 for its first flight in the service of climate research, measuring around 100 different trace gases, aerosol, and cloud parameters in the troposphere region.

Cooperation between aviation companies and research institutes:

The A350 conversion, which has now been launched, was preceded by an extremely elaborate planning and development phase of about four years involving more than ten companies (in particular Lufthansa, Lufthansa Technik, Airbus, Safran, enviscope, and Dynatec) as well as the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) as representative of a larger scientific consortium. The Lufthansa Group has been a reliable partner of climate research since 1994 and since it has equipped several aircraft with special instruments. This is now the first time worldwide on an Airbus A350-900 aircraft.

Related Topics:a350 airbus Karlsruhe Lufthansa technik

Aerospace

When Ratan Tata was denied entry to the airfield at the Aero India show, he waited

During our visit to Aero India 2019, we had the unexpected opportunity to see Ratan Tata at the event, which was a thrilling moment for us. However, there was a surprising hiccup when the security staff didn’t allow him to enter due to a lack of a security pass.

Despite this, he remained calm and patiently waited for about 20 minutes until a member of the Tata team brought him the required pass, after which he calmly proceeded inside. It was a humbling sight, showcasing his composed demeanor even in such situations.

Ratan Tata ji is not only a renowned industrialist but also a trained pilot, holding a pilot’s license. In 2007, he became the first Indian civilian to fly the F-16 Falcon during the Aero India show in Bangalore—a proud moment for the nation.

His passion for aviation extended beyond flying, as he played a key role in shaping India’s aerospace industry. Under his leadership, Tata ventured into manufacturing and maintaining aerospace components while upholding its legacy of quality. Notably, Tata’s collaboration with Airbus to develop and manufacture the C295 aircraft is a testament to its growing influence in the sector.