Metro Aviation recently completed a one-of-a-kind Airbus Helicopters H125 to serve as an observation platform for the University of Miami’s Rosentiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science.
Metro Aviation (Booth 9337) worked with the school’s Dean Roni Avissar to develop an attachment that holds a system of scientific sensors and a full inertial monitoring system of differential GPS and accelerometers. The helicopter was fitted with a nearly 13-foot-long sensor-carrying rod that was mounted with a Meeker Aviation AirFilm Camera System and vibration-damping device.
“Adapting our scientific instrumentation on a helicopter in a way that eliminates aerodynamic and mechanical interferences with the measurements is a complex engineering and realization project,” Avissar said. “The observations we can achieve in our new aircraft are crucial to improving our understanding of the climate system, especially in relation to weather forecasting and human health.”
The helicopter, which has been on display at the Donaldson booth (2400) during Heli-Expo, further is equipped with a Donaldson inlet barrier filtration system. The system will protect the engine from potential dirt, dust and salt, as it flies near the ocean and close to the ground while the helicopter’s sensors measures various exchanges between the Earth surface and atmosphere.
Following Heli-Expo, the helicopter will fly to Florida for missions in the Everglades and Biscayne Bay.