Falcon visitor

Today saw a visit to Shannon by German registered Falcon 20, D-CMET, msn 329. The aircraft which was built in 1976 is operated by the DLR, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft und Raumfahrt, the German Centre for Air and Space Travel. 

Visits by Falcon 20 aircraft are becoming a rare event and even more so in the case of msn 329.

D-CMET which is based at the DLR flight facility in Oberpfaffenhofen is one the most important European research aircraft used in atmospheric research. The aircraft has been extensively modified to suit it's applications. Some of these modifications include :

• New engines with additional power generators to handle the higher than normal electrical load of the scientific payload.
• A nose boom with integrated probe for measuring airspeed and direction.
• Four underwing hardpoints for carrying external payload.
• Central and aft hardpoints for carrying external payload.
• Special optical windows for camera and radar operation on the top and bottom of the fuselage.

The aircraft which normally has capacity for 10 has had it's seating reduced to 6 due to the space taken up by the scientific payload.

This is  the second time this year that D-CMET has visited. It spent two days over May 13/14 when it was accompanied by G-LUXE operated by the Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurement. A previous visit was noted in Shannon in November 2003.

D-CMET is pictured below on climb out off Runway 06 at lunchtime today. It is intended to retire CMET and replace it with HALO, ( High Altitude and Long Range Research Aircraft ) based on the G550 platform which will take to the air in 2009.