Flying test bench and the procedure of aerogravimetric survey under arctic conditions

Abstract

The necessity is shown for creating a flying test bench on the basis of independent aircraft with long flight time suitable for operation in the Arctic. A detailed description of a flying test bench on the basis of Russian AN-30D production aircraft is presented. There is also information on the aerogravimetric survey carried out in 2006–2007 above the Barents and Kara seas near the Novaya Zemlya archipelago. The list of aerogravimetric and navigational equipment is substantiated. The necessity of installing additional devices for heat and vibration protection, backup power supply lines, and additional means of communication is shown. The operating principles of different aerogravimetric systems are described. The ways to carry out the aerogravimetric surveys in the Arctic are described. The basic ideas used in software packages intended for express and laboratory processing of gravimetric and navigational information obtained both on board the aircraft and from base stations of the GPS satellite navigation system are described. It is shown how to take into account the corrections for aerogravimetric systems with different operating principles.