Airborne Research Australia from Adelaide brings international cutting-edge technology to aerial data surveys
Simon Hackett (left), whose foundation supported Airborne Research Australia and its chief scientist Jorg Hacker, professorial chair in airborne research at Flinders University. Inset at right shows data from a Kangaroo Island survey by ARA after the 2019-20 bushfires.
Image courtesy Airborne Research Australia
Airborne Research Australia (ARA), born in 1996 at Adelaide’s Flinders University and based at Parafield Aerodrome, has established itself as a unique, national and international research group. ARA’s staff of seven, who fly its aircraft and support its instruments, includes scientists, engineers, operations crew and technicians.
Based at a large hangar at Parafield Airport, ARA operates special mission aircraft carrying sophisticated sensing equipment unique in Australia. The airborne measurements and datasare critical to build knowledge about critical issues – from land, air and water management, to food production, to mining and energy, coal seam gas and fracking, and climate change.
ARA operates two of the world’s seven custom-built HK36TTC ECO-Dimona aircraft, with pods and pylons under the wings that hold specialist measuring instruments such as LiDAR (radar using beams of light), hyperspectral (far beyond colour spectrum of humans), thermal infrared or methane and other atmospheric sensors. These cutting-edge sensors allow ARA to measure the environmental at unprecedented detail.
This capability was built with philanthropic supporters such as Joyce and Don Schultz of Glen Osmond and the Sir Ross and Sir Keith Smith Trust, as well as the federal government and Australian research Council grants.
But a boost of more than $1 million from the foundation set up by Simon Hackett, a keen pilot and South Australian founder of the Internode internet service provider, saw ARA move to an independent not-for-profit company keeping strong links with university-based research and education.
ARA board members have strong scientific backgrounds as active researchers and educators at Australian and overseas universities. Hackett Foundation support allowed ARA to invest in new scientific instrumentation and capabilities, as well as specialist staff to map the Earth in all its aspects using a fleet of unique small low-impact aircraft with glider capacity.
