CLEVELAND — NASA’s Glenn Research Center is pleased to have its S-3B, a former naval aircraft, on static display July 25-27 at the EAA 2011 AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wis. for the Centennial of Naval Aviation Commemoration. Originally designed as a carrier-based, anti-submarine aircraft for the U.S. Navy, the aircraft was extensively modified to transform it from a military aircraft to a state-of-the-art research aircraft.
Pilot and Glenn’s chief of the Aircraft Operations Office Alan Micklewright, Flight Research Engineer Jim Griner, and S-3B Crew Chief Don Gorman, will be available to the visitors to talk about the aircraft.
While not conducting a flight demonstration, the S-3B can be seen flying during departure from Whitman Field scheduled for 9 a.m. on Thursday, July 28.
The S-3B was used to flight test a highly specialized suite of instruments for the aerial measurement of water quality for the Great Lakes Environmental Aerial Monitoring mission. This was a joint effort by Glenn, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Ohio Aerospace Institute. In the future, it may be used to validate communications for unmanned aircraft and to conduct swept-wing and aircraft engine icing related research. Glenn has a long history of studying ice formation on aircraft surfaces in its Icing Research Tunnel and aboard research aircraft that intentionally fly into hazardous winter weather. The center has helped develop revolutionary techniques for protecting aircraft from ice formation and training for pilots to handle problems resulting from unavoidable ice formation.
For further information on the S-3B at NASA Glenn, visit: http://facilities.grc.nasa.gov/hangar
