The Flight Experiment facility has a new BO 105 nose boom for test flights starting in July 2025. The new nose boom was developed, built and certified in collaboration with Leichtwerk AG. During the design process, particular attention was paid to ensuring that the nose boom is not induced to oscillate by interaction with the main rotor.
The new BO 105 nose boom is attached to the helicopter's airframe at four points and supported by three struts. It is 302 cm long and therefore offers the possibility of collecting data outside the rotor circuit.
The Swiss-Air Data (ADP-55) 5-hole probe at the end of the nose boom is attached with an angle adapter so that we can change the measurement direction up to 60 degrees to the left and right of the nose boom. The probe measures data such as angle of attack, sideslip angle, static pressure and air temperature. The data is transmitted via a cable in the centre of the nose boom to a Real-Time Measurement Computer (RTMC), which calculates derived parameters such as pressure altitude, true airspeed, Mach number and static temperature. Finally, the data is transmitted and stored in a base measurement system in the rear cargo compartment of the BO 105.
The nose boom is a major upgrade to our helicopter's instrumentation. This modification will allow the Flight Experiment facility to provide more accurate flight data to our users so they can continue to work on making helicopters and quieter more efficient.
