Flight Research Laboratory

The Flight Research Laboratory is one of five main laboratories at the NRC Institute for Aerospace Research (NRC Aerospace). It is located at the Uplands Research Complex in Ottawa (Canada).

The Flight Research Laboratory provides consulting services, engages in collaborative research and licenses its technology to a wide range of clients. The Laboratory has the expertise to manage and perform complex in-flight experiments in the areas of flight vehicle research and flight systems technology development. We also coordinate and perform complex airborne research experiments in collaboration with other agencies.

The Laboratory develops, maintains and operates a small fleet of dedicated research aircraft, to support research projects in its main program areas: flight mechanics, avionics and airborne research experimentation.

Its highly competent engineering research staff specialize in areas such as:

• flight test
• performance
• stability and control
• modeling and simulation
• handling qualities
• human factors
• aircraft operations
• aeromagnetics
• remote sensing and atmospheric studies.

The engineering pilot staff provides further expertise in these areas, coupled with test pilot expertise and high levels of operational experience. The instrumentation and computing support staff is highly skilled at the development of aircraft-based data acquisition systems, the integration of sensors, the use of ground based facilities, software development and the application of new computing technologies.

The on-site aircraft maintenance staff keeps the aircraft in an airworthy state with special recognition of the demands and requirements placed on the aircraft by the research role. The resident design and fabrication staff provides the ability to quickly and safely modify the aircraft to meet the research needs of each program, operating under special privileges provided to the laboratory by Transport Canada. Finally, the research aircraft fleet of the Flight Research Laboratory forms the heart of the organization, spanning both helicopter and fixed wing regimes.