Flight Operations and Certification

With over 100 years of experience in flight testing, NLR offers comprehensive consultancy, training and support services, leveraging our extensive expertise and state-of-the-art facilities. Our team of highly qualified experts spans the entire range of flight test disciplines, providing unparalleled guidance and support. Our modified and instrumented research aircraft has been utilised for a wide range of flight tests, from routine to high-risk operations, and has been deployed in diverse locations worldwide, including cold and hot weather areas and remote sites. As a design organisation approved under Part 21, we bring a unique combination of technical expertise and operational experience to our clients, enabling us to provide tailored solutions that meet the most demanding requirements.

NLR offers flexible solutions for flight testing beyond our own facility's resources, based on our extensive network within the flight test community. This varies from testing your application on a different aircraft type to dispatching multiple aircraft for a complex test campaign. NLR has two research aircraft: a Cessna Citation II and a Pipistrel Velis Electro.

At NLR, we offer a unique combination of flexibility and affordability in our flight test facility, backed by over 100 years of experience in the aviation industry. Our modified and instrumented Cessna Citation II research aircraft is equipped with an antenna box that allows for easy installation of antennas, making it an ideal platform for testing data link systems. In case a smaller or larger aircraft seems more appropriate, we can advise on other options through our extensive network within the flight test community.

NLR offers a unique combination of resources and expertise to support your antennae testing needs. Our Cessna Citation II research aircraft provides an ideal platform for evaluating antennae systems due to its low operating costs and comparable performance to larger transport aircraft. The aircraft is equipped with a certified antenna box on top of the fuselage, existing antennae locations on the bottom of the fuselage, and feed-through capabilities for large signal- and coax cables into the pressurised cabin.

NLR can support you in developing your Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) including certification. We can assist in designing and prototyping your RPAS/UAS, offer our platform as a testbed for your sensor equipment, autopilot integration, and develop sensors and systems specifically for RPAS/UAS applications. Additionally, our facilities enable us to perform environmental tests such as EMI/EMC, ESD, vibration, or shock tests on your RPAS/UAS, and conduct sensor calibration on components like IMU, airspeed, altitude and more.

NLR has a proven track record in supporting our customers in developing their
system in a realistic environment, from experimental to production stages (TRL 5-7), as well as qualifying and certifying your product for aeronautical use (TRL 7-9). We understand the process to be followed to reach a certified product, in compliance with the appropriate flight safety requirements. We can also assist in interpreting requirements, in designing aircraft modifications to integrate new capabilities, up to new aircraft types, and provide any necessary support in the airworthiness certification domain, helping you navigate the complex process of bringing your product to market.

Flight testing is a means to collect (evidence/research) data. All processes related to flight testing are covered within Flight test support: from defining requirements to preparing flight test plans, realisation of instrumentation suites and provisions and finally support of test flight execution and data analysis.