A specially equipped Flight Design CT Supralite from a German company, UL GmbH is being used by the Duesseldorf Technical University’s Department of Volcanology to study airborne ash from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland. To allow higher altitude measurements, the CT Supralite was equipped with an oxygen system. Supralite is a version of the popular CT series sold in Europe.
The LSA is being used to measure sulfur and particles concentration in steps of 1,000 feet up to 14,000 feet. The objective is to quantify or correlate the calculated location and density of the ash cloud with reality.
The Flight Design CT Supralite qualifies as a research aircraft by virtue of its strong climbing performance (more than 5 meters per second or 1,000 feet per minute) and its high ceiling for a non-turbine or non-turbocharged aircraft with low risk for damages by the volcano ash, company officials said, noting its high cruise speed, range, and cockpit spaciousness also contribute to its usefulness in this investigation.
“It is interesting to see that a Light-Sport Airplane can help in this very public case,” reported Flight Design CEO, Matthias Betsch. “Flight Design believes that more of its aircraft will be used for this kind of purpose.”
Flight Design is a 23-year-old air-sport products producer based in Germany. One of the first aircraft certified under ASTM International standards in 2005, the CT (“composite technology”) remains the top-selling LSA in America through five consecutive years. Flight Design sold the first LSA to India and was the first LSA to earn Chinese Type Design Approval.
For more information: FlightDesignUSA.com.
