We have new a development in terms of flight schedule

The Zeppelin will leave from Lübeck to Ljungbyhed on Saturday at 09:00h. On Sunday we will fly from Ljungbyhed to Skavsta. Summary: we are perfectly on track with our planning and optimistic to reach Finland for the “nucleation season”.

Nevertheless, Saturday will be a hard day for the transfer team, who is following the Zeppelin at the ground. We will have to build in the Layout CL8 on Saturday morning before the flight. Thereafter a more than 6h car trip to Ljungbyhed. We may decide to have at least some of the transfer team go to Denmark via the ferry. It will take the same time, but one could relax on the ferry for a few hours.

We will keep you posted...

Transfer flight from Mainz to Lübeck

We started in Mainz at 9:40 equipped with the photochemistry layout. After a short tank stop in Hildesheim we reached Lübeck at 18:00. All instrument worked fine during the flight.

Unfortunately the wind got stronger and instruments had to be built out in Lübeck airport to lighten the airship. The transfer flight will continue on Saturday or Sunday when the wind has weakened and instruments are built in again.

The Zeppelin in the air connected to the mast truck in Lübeck airport

The Zeppelin started its Journey to Finland

Today at 9:00 the Zeppelin started its journey to Finland. We expect the Zeppelin to arrive in Mainz at about 3 pm. The instruments work fine, and the weather conditions are also fine.

  

The first test flight before the northbound PEGASOS campaign has taken place yesterday.

Preliminary data from this flight helps to get the scientists acquainted with the optimal way to run the instruments during the upcoming field campaign.

Scientists and ZLT coworkers worked hard to make this flight happen.

Everyone was excited to see the Zeppelin take off with the
scientific equipment for the first time in 2013.

The most current weather forecast makes a second test flight on Sunday highly likely. Afterwards, the photochemistry cabin layout is going to be installed, so that the trip north can start on Monday without any delays.

Zeppelin Transfer to Finland

In the next week the Zeppelin will start its transfer to Finland. The aim is to reach Skavsta in Sweden as fast as possible. Stops are planned in Mainz – Finthen, Hildesheim, Lübeck-Blankensee and Ljungbyhed in Sweden, where the airship stays overnight fixed to a mast truck .

The exact time schedule and flight route will of course depend on the weather. The Zeppelin will be equipped with the photochemistry layout.

The scientists who run the instrument on the Zeppelin will follow the Zeppelin by car to calibrate their instruments when the airship is on the airfield.

 

Zeppelin transfer to Finland. 

Topplatform installed

Today the topplatform has been mounted on top of the Zeppelin.

 

The top platform was lifted by a crane under the roof of the hangar.
 

The Pegasos Zeppelin was placed under the crane.
 



 The topplatform was carefully lowered onto the top of the Zeppelin.

The PEGASOS Zeppelin Campaign in 2013 has started

From mid-April, the Zeppelin NT will once again be on a mission for climate research – this time travelling as far as Finland. Scientists are starting the second part of their measurement campaign within the pan-EU project PEGASOS, which aims to investigate relationships between atmospheric chemistry and climate change. 

 

In the last 5 days the scientists arrived in Friedrichshafen to install their instruments in the Zeppelin. The cabin layout with the SOA package is prepared for the first test flights around Friedrichshafen. At present, the PEGASOS Zeppelin is in the Hangar together with a second airship. All racks for the SOA package are installed in the Zeppelin. Only the top platform needs to be put onto the Zeppelin.

 






The Top platform is set up in the hangar.