If you see a big orange plane flying lower to the ground than you would normally expect, don’t worry. It’s all in the name of science.
A Douglas DC-3 aircraft is carrying eight researchers from Germany and Canada as they make aerial observations of permafrost thaw, coastal erosion, changes in lakes, fire scars, mud slides, thaw slumps, vegetation, ice wedges and the overall stability of the infrastructure. Flights will be between 1,500 and 3,000 feet.
For comparison, commercial aircraft typically cruise between 31,000 and 38,000 feet and private aircraft typically flies at 15,000 feet. Flights will be out of Inuvik daily from July 3 to July 25.
Notice of the flights was published on the Town of Inuvik’s Facebook page on July 5. The plane, dubbed the Polar-6, is equipped with a laser scanner on the nose of the aircraft. The researchers say in their notice the laser scanner does not emit visible light and does not affect anything it touches and is safe for use in the Delta.
Research is being led by the Alfred Wegener Institute with partners from the Northwest Territories Geological Survey, Wilfred Laurier University, Natural Resources Canada, Simon Fraser University, University of Würzburg, University of Heidelburg, the German Aerospace Center and Hershel Island Qikigtaruk.