NASA’s DC-8 Airborne Science Laboratory on Wednesday will make its final flight to Idaho State University in Pocatello, where aspiring aircraft technicians will train on it through the college’s aircraft maintenance technology program.

The swan song flight of the testbed aircraft, which has flown 158 science missions over more than three decades, will not be scientific. But the hope is that it can inspire a new generation of aviators and researchers.

“The DC-8 flew missions all over the world,” said Michael Thomson, chief of the science projects branch at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in California. “The work we did on that aircraft will make a difference to future generations in improved weather forecasting, monitoring glacial ice thickness, air quality, and improving our ability to predict the development of hurricanes from tropical storms.”

The Airborne Research Laboratory is a highly modified, four-engine Douglas DC-8 used by federal, state, academic, and foreign researchers, as well as companies such as Boeing and United Airlines, that has been flying since 1987.

The massive aircraft is 157 feet long with a 148-foot wingspan, large enough to seat up to 45 researchers and flight crew and carry 30,000 pounds of scientific cargo. It has a range of 5,400 nm and flight time of 12 hours, flying within the atmosphere between 1,000 and 42,000 feet in altitude.

The DC-8 is equipped with a suite of sensors and data systems as well as Iridium and Inmarsat satellite communications that make it suitable for a variety of missions. It is primarily used to test satellite sensors and space-borne lasers, validate satellite data, provide tracking and telemetry for space launch vehicles reentering the atmosphere, and perform a range of other studies. 

Data collected by the aircraft has been used for studies in a range of disciplines, from biology to volcanology. It was a key contributor, for example, to NASA’s Operation IceBridge, the largest airborne survey of Earth’s polar ice.

“The DC-8 has flown scientists on a lot of missions to look at atmospheric composition, for which the most important applications are air quality,” said Hal Maring, NASA Earth Science Division scientist. “The DC-8 enabled NASA scientists to develop a better understanding of air quality; what makes it good, or what makes it bad.”

The flying laboratory completed its final scientific flight, the Airborne and Satellite Investigation of Asian Air Quality, or ASIA-AQ, mission, on April 1.

Earlier this month, DC-8 team members past and present congregated at NASA Armstrong’s Building 703 at Edwards Air Force Base—which housed the aircraft during much of its three-decade stint—to reminisce about its contributions to science.

The DC-8 has traveled far and wide in its quest for scientific discovery, flying high into the atmosphere and over all seven continents. Bill Brockett, who flew the aircraft for 28 years, said a 2009 expedition to Antarctica was his favorite.

“The science instrumentation required that we fly from 500 feet to 1,000 feet altitude,” Brockett said. “It required total focus for the six or seven hours at low altitude to successfully complete a mission…We were low enough that we occasionally got glimpses of seals lounging on the ice.”

Some missions sent researchers into harrowing situations, such as the eye of a storm. For example, Chris Jennison, a retired DC-8 mission manager, routinely flew into hurricanes.

“I don’t miss stark terror,” Jennison said. “The thing about flying [into] hurricanes is that it’s not intuitively obvious where the dangerous places are.”

Other missions required crewmembers to act on the fly, so to speak.

“During the recent [ASIA-AQ] mission we had an engine failure,” said Brian Hobbs, the current Armstrong DC-8 manager. “The logistics and procurement teams acted quickly to get the engine shipped, and the crew was able to get the engine replaced, tested, and ready to go. That could have been the end of the campaign, but our team made it happen.”

A common theme among current and former DC-8 team members was the infectious enthusiasm and camaraderie of scientists aboard the flying laboratory.

“Some of these people had been working for years trying to get their experiment out there and prove a hypothesis they are working on,” said Randy Albertson, former deputy director of NASA’s Airborne Science Program. “The energy they brought in was like recharging one’s batteries. They loved talking about the science.”

Those are just pleasant memories now. The good news, however, is that the flying laboratory will live out its final days surrounded by curious minds at Idaho State.

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The post NASA Teams Remember Flying Science Laboratory as It Heads for Retirement appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Boeing has used numerous ecoDemonstrator aircraft over the years to improve industry understanding of the impacts aviation has on the environment. Most recently, the Arlington, Va.-based manufacturer has used an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9, 777-200ER and 787-10. The 737 MAX 10 which will be used during the air-to-air flights has been painted with a special livery signifying the environmental mission the aircraft will carry out. 

• READ MORE: Boeing Unveils 777-200ER SAF Demonstrator

In-Flight Testing

The 737 will fly with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in one tank and conventional jet fuel in another, allowing atmospheric comparison data between the two to be captured by the NASA DC-8, which will be following the 737 in flight. Specifically, the NASA airborne science lab will be capturing emissions produced by each fuel type and contrail ice particles. The goal of the testing is to gain more of an understanding of how fuel designs, engine combustion and other technologies can reduce atmospheric heating. 

According to Boeing, SAFs can reduce emissions by 85% of the fuel’s life cycle. Created from blends of materials, such as cooking oil and agricultural waste, SAFs are the most promising fuel source for significantly reducing emissions in the aviation industry in the near future. Per the press release, Boeing has committed to deliver aircraft entirely compatible with SAFs by 2030. 

NASA’s mission integration manager for Sustainable Flight National Partnership, Rich Wahls, believes deploying the agency’s DC-8 will be extremely beneficial stating “Flight testing is complex and resource-intensive, yet it’s the gold standard for understanding how sustainable aerospace innovations affect changes in contrails and climate.”

Based in Palmdale, Calif., NASA’s DC-8 is a four-engine rarity in the current aviation world. Joining NASA in 1985, the 53-year-old aircraft is still going strong, collecting atmospheric data across the globe and studying changes in the environment. The test bed also has the ability to monitor and track space borne objects, along with offering an inexpensive way to test instrumentation to be deployed on satellites. 

As the launch customer of the longer -10 variant, United is demonstrating their continued support in furthering SAF research. The 737 MAX 10, with the option for 10 more seats than the shorter -9, will reduce fuel emissions by 20% compared to the aircraft types it will replace, says Boeing.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AirlineGeeks.com.

The post Boeing, NASA, United Partner on In-Flight SAF Study appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The Samaritan’s Purse Douglas DC-8 has responded to Haiti in an effort to deliver aid after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake hit the Carribean nation over the weekend, killing at least 1,200 people.

The aircraft flew out Sunday, according to the organization, bringing more than a dozen disaster response specialists and 31 tons of relief supplies, including emergency shelter material, medical supplies, and water filtration units. A medical team will also deploy to provide basic care and begin health assessments.

Teams are working closely with local authorities and church partners to assess needs, distribute aid, and mount a strategic response in hard-hit locations. The organization said a second airlift would be set up to transport the medical teams to serve trauma patients if necessary.

In 2020, Samaritan’s Purse was among the first aid organizations to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, delivering 38 tons of medical relief supplies, including an emergency field hospital, to Italy. Missions last year also included trips to aid:

Families who fled conflict in ArmeniaHurricane victims in HondurasFamilies in Lebanon impacted by a deadly explosion

The DC-8 was first deployed in 2016 and is configured to carry up to 84,000 pounds of cargo and 32 passengers. It’s part of a 23-aircraft fleet, including two helicopters, in the Samaritan’s Purse aviation division.

The DC-8 was recently on display at EAA AirVenture 2021 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

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