Members of the Pratt School of Engineering received a new $1.3 million “toy”—one much larger than your average G. I. Joe or model train set.
This summer, using funds almost exclusively from the school’s coffers, engineers bought a new Bell JetRanger helicopter, which researchers will use to better understand atmospheric conditions.
The helicopter, which arrived June 18 and is painted in black and Duke blue stripes, is a Bell 206B-3 powered by a Rolls-Royce turbine. The chopper is known as the safest single-engine aircraft in the world.
“We consider this helicopter a national asset,” Kristina Johnson, dean of Pratt, said in a press release. “We are looking forward to helping researchers across the country use this aircraft... to better monitor and understand the influence of natural and man-made modifications to local landscapes on the environment.”
The helicopter’s co-pilot, Roni Avissar, W.H. Gardner Professor and chair of the civil and environmental engineering department, hopes to see this versatile aircraft help study the effect of greenhouse emissions on the climate. But, he noted that collecting this type of data required special piloting skills.
“There is a need to fly at relatively low levels in order to truly understand atmospheric carbon and water vapor balances,” Avissar said about collecting the needed data.
In addition, he said, the helicopter may prove vital in the detection of chemical or biological weapons released as aerosols into the air.
The aircraft’s sensory devices will—among other things—collect aerosols and measure temperature, turbulence and water and carbon dioxide concentrations for research projects requiring both low and high sampling speeds.
In a research sector dominated by satellites, towers and high speed, high altitude aircraft helicopters—which were once thought to disrupt the air surrounding the aircraft due to the whirling rotor—may seem an expensive risk. But Avissar seems confident in his vision.
“I don’t think it will be a risk, but there are few scientific issues concerning the helicopter,” he said.
Certain mechanical issues may hinder air displacement, and Avissar will need additional funding to uphold the helicopter’s operational costs. He plans to request grant support from agencies such as the NASA and the United States Department of Defense. He hopes that by showing promise in advancing research in this area, the aircraft will sell itself. It has already drawn attention from not just regional researchers but scientists across the United States and internationally.
The engineers will show off their new machine in the upcoming months. The five-seat helicopter will be flown in between the Fitzpatrick Center for Interdisciplinary Engineering, Medicine and Applied Sciences and Hudson Hall for public viewing Oct. 14 and 15.
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