Mission / Flights: Gulfstream Jet

The NASA Grumman Gulfstream III (G-III) provides long-term capability for efficient testing of subsonic flight experiments for NASA, the U.S. Air Force, other government agencies, academia, and private industry. The aircraft, which carried the military designation of C-20A, was obtained from the U.S. Air Force in 2003.

G3 in flight March 15, 2007

G3 in flight March 15, 2007

NASA Dryden's G-III is equipped with a self-contained on-board Data Collection and Processing System (DCAPS). This embedded instrumentation system allows for automated configuration setups to reduce required engineering support for each mission. It includes primary and backup systems to assure mission reliability, with the backup system available for use concurrently as a slave system when needed. DCAPS is designed to allow easy upgrades, addition of add-on systems for expansion, and to operate in both autonomous and manual modes.

The custom DCAPS system installed on the G-III was developed to enable processing, distributing, displaying and archiving aircraft flight data and customers' experimental data in real time. In addition, it features a video collection and distribution system, satellite communications systems, including airborne Internet capability, satellite phones, an upgraded 120-amp electrical power system and an infrared-capable pilot's heads-up display. The telemetry system can receive and relay data in S, Ku and L-band frequencies.