Mercator test flight

In October 2010, the Mercator aircraft was brought to Bertrix Air Base for a first test flight.

The aircraft and its ground control station arrived at the Bertrix site
Bertrix air base weergeven op een grotere kaart;

They were deployed for pre-flight tests.  

The aircraft was fully assembled in the hangar.

Note the call sign OO-UAV!

During three weeks, the launch team was on stand by to attempt a launch. Low wind speeds at up to 12 km were required (to guarantee that the aircraft would stay within its air space), without risk of icing. These circumstances did not occur in this period, unfortunately.

We are now planning for a new attempt in 2011.