AVIATION STORY 9

Video cameras supplied by:

LADS (LASER Airborne Depth Sounder) Fokker F27

LOCATION: Cairns/Adelaide

Airfield: Cairns/Adelaide

Time Frame: September 2008-2009

VH-EWP NEWS

Video of the 12- Sept 09 arrival view

Video departure for test flight 14 Sept 09 view

Night time Sortie 15th Sept 09 view

Video take-off YPAD view

NOTE: Please allow videos to fully load before playing.

Photo Gallery (view) (Gallery 2)

VH-EWP Fokker F27 500 Arrives at YPAD for refit.

The Navy Fokker Laser Airborne Depth Sounder (LADS) arrived in Adelaide 12 September 2009. It is to undergo a refit with it's current equipment compliment to go into the new Dash 8 VH-LCL. The Fokker will be here for some time, at least till Friday 18th. We will keep you up-to-date as information is received. For those that would like to see the aircraft flying, it is going out on Monday morning around 0900 and Tuesday around 1400.

You can see a short video of the 13- Sept 09 arrival here.

Departure for test flight 14 Sept 09 (view)

Photo Gallery (view)

About LADS Fokker F-27

The Navy Hydrographic Unit operates a Fokker F27 as an Airborne Laser Depth Sounder. The aircraft is used to map the ocean floor. Using a high powered, pulsed LASER the aircraft scans swathes of the ocean floor more rapidly than a ship performing the same task.

Picture: On Tarmac at Cairns

The LADS F27 is a specially fitted out aircraft. Complete with LASER, Data Logging, Cooling Units and Crew Facilities. The aircraft has been extensively modified to incorporate bay doors under the fuselage, additional fuel tanks, precise navigation systems, and a stabilised platform for the laser.

Picture: Inside LADS

The aircraft is piloted by civillian pilots and the electronic equipment is operated by Navy personel. Modifications to the aircraft include extra fuel tanks. The flight time per sortie can be up to 7 1/2 hours.

Pictures: Cooling Unit (below), Data Logging (right), LASER Platform (bottom right)

Above images courtesy: LADS Staff

UPGRADE

The equipment was recently upgraded (2008). The new system has improved performance and operational requirements over the old system.

Specs for the new system are:

240m laser swathe (at a 5 x 5m grid pattern)
Variable grid pattern of 5x5m, 4x4, 3x3, 2x2m (depending on what is being investigated)
990 soundings per second (compared to 168 per second on the old system)
49800 soundings per square km
Variable sounding height of aircraft from 1200ft to 2000ft
Sounding speed 175 kts

Picture: LADS How It Works

Fixed Infrared beam provides precise height information. Green beam scans ocean floor up to 50 metres deep.

Simulated LASER Scanning

Red Laser is fixed vertically/stationary to measure height.
Green Laser scans a 240m swathe maping the ocean floor.

Overall Specification

Aircraft		Fokker F27-500 'Friendship'
Crew		2 pilots (civilian) , 2 survey systems operators (Navy)
Aircraft take off weight		20 tonnes
Aircraft transit speed		220 knots
Survey speed		175 knots/295 Feet Per Second/90M Per Second (145 knots old system)
Operating height		Approx 360-600 metres above the sea surface (1200-2000 feet)
Depth Range		0 to 50 metres
Sounding pattern		240 metres wide, 10 metres nominal spacing between soundings
Navigation		using GPS satellite navigation (Military Precise Code)
Sortie duration		up to 7� hours
Personnel (Navy)		2 Hydrographic Survey Officers, 5 Sailors (Hydrographic Specialisation)
Personnel (Contract)		Supported by TENIX LADS Corp with 9 contractors including 3 pilots and 2 aircraft engineers
Home Base		Cairns, however the entire Flight is deployable and has been based out of Mackay, Darwin and Broome for up to 10 weeks

Hot Topic Archive Article....

VH-EWP is here.

9th November 2009: VH-EWP (Fokker Friendship 500) returned to Adelaide to have the LADS gear from VH-LCL installed. No longer flying under the banner of "Navy Survey" she arrived as "EWP" and in a couple of weeks the aircraft should be ready to test the installed LADS gear in flight.

5DME will keep posting news about this aircraft as it comes to hand.

Last Fokker F27 still flying in Australia.

NOTE: VH-EWP will be departing for Essendon on Friday 18th December 2009. So your last chance to see her will be this week (14th-18th). VH-EWP is parked around by the Police Air Wing.

See the LADS page for more information.

Links to other VH-EWP and LADS related items:

Navy - Fondness for Fokkers

http://www.defence.gov.au/news/NAVYNEWS/editions/4903/feature/feature02.htm

Navy - Hydrographic Service

http://www.hydro.gov.au/

Navy - Hydrographic Survey

http://www.navy.gov.au/HMAS_Cairns#Fokker_F27-500_Laser_Airborne_Depth_Sounder_.28LADS.29

Item by David H.

Information courtesy of LADS.

Photos by LADS Staff & David H.

Back to STORIES index page