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"Aerosonde" is a trademarked name of an autonomous aircraft developed by InSitu, Inc. (later manufactured by Aerodonde, Ltd.), designed to collect data over the ocean, where weather stations are few and far between. Their measurements of temperature, pressure, humidity, and wind within the atmosphere complement the "big picture" data provided by satellites. Someday, Aerosondes may circulate regularly on weather-reconnaissance flights between Hawaii, Alaska, and the mainland. The information they gather will allow improved weather forecasting for the West Coast.
The Museum's Aerosonde is named Laima, after the ancient Latvian deity of good fortune. On August 21, 1998, Laima became the first unmanned aircraft to cross the North Atlantic. The flight occurred 79 years after Alcock and Brown's first non-stop crossing and 71 years after Lindbergh's historic solo flight. It spanned 2,044 miles (3,270 km) in 26 hours and 45 minutes, about half of which was in rainy conditions.
The transatlantic Aerosonde flight was a joint project of InSitu, the University of Washington, and others. Launched under manual control from a car roof rack at Bell Island Airport in Newfoundland, Canada, at 9:59 UTC on August 20, 1998, Laima was soon switched to the pre-programmed autonomous flight using Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation. Flying a route slightly to the south of the Great Circle Route at an altitude of about 5,000 feet (1,500 m), Laima headed for the landing site at the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) Range at Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides Islands of Scotland. Laima could not be tracked over the Atlantic, but its telemetry was picked up by the Scotland landing crew at 12:15 UTC the next day. The craft was brought in to land under manual control half an hour later.
Laima was donated to The Museum of Flight in November 1998.
"Aerosonde" is a trademarked name of an autonomous aircraft developed by InSitu, Inc. (later manufactured by Aerodonde, Ltd.), designed to collect data over the ocean, where weather stations are few and far between. Their measurements of temperature, pressure, humidity, and wind within the atmosphere complement the "big picture" data provided by satellites. Someday, Aerosondes may circulate regularly on weather-reconnaissance flights between Hawaii, Alaska, and the mainland. The information they gather will allow improved weather forecasting for the West Coast.
The Museum's Aerosonde is named Laima, after the ancient Latvian deity of good fortune. On August 21, 1998, Laima became the first unmanned aircraft to cross the North Atlantic. The flight occurred 79 years after Alcock and Brown's first non-stop crossing and 71 years after Lindbergh's historic solo flight. It spanned 2,044 miles (3,270 km) in 26 hours and 45 minutes, about half of which was in rainy conditions.
The transatlantic Aerosonde flight was a joint project of InSitu, the University of Washington, and others. Launched under manual control from a car roof rack at Bell Island Airport in Newfoundland, Canada, at 9:59 UTC on August 20, 1998, Laima was soon switched to the pre-programmed autonomous flight using Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation. Flying a route slightly to the south of the Great Circle Route at an altitude of about 5,000 feet (1,500 m), Laima headed for the landing site at the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) Range at Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides Islands of Scotland. Laima could not be tracked over the Atlantic, but its telemetry was picked up by the Scotland landing crew at 12:15 UTC the next day. The craft was brought in to land under manual control half an hour later.
Laima was donated to The Museum of Flight in November 1998.
