RIEGL Expands Test Aircraft Fleet with New DA62 SurveyStar

Horn / Wr. Neustadt, Austria – May 2023 –  RIEGL Laser Measurement Systems GmbH, a global leader in development and production of laser scanners and systems for applications in surveying, and in cooperation with Diamond Aircraft Austria since day one of their Special Mission Aircraft business, acquires a new test and calibration aircraft, a DA62 SurveyStar.

62.256 MPP Black Spinnerandblades

Diamond DA62 SurveyStar in RIEGL design

After successfully operating one of the very first DA42 GeoStar aircraft for nearly 15 years, RIEGL is becoming the first Austrian operator of its groundbreaking successor, the DA62 SurveyStar.

Due to the close cooperation between RIEGL and Diamond Aircraft, the complete line of RIEGL’s high-end airborne laser scanners and systems can already be fitted on the new test aircraft for trials.

RIEGL VQ 1460 Integration 1

RIEGL VQ-1460 Airborne Mapping System fully integrated to the DA62 SurveyStar.

Markus Fischer, Director Diamond Aircraft Special Mission Aircraft, said: “Beside so many already sold and delivered DA62 SurveyStar’s, this one is my absolute top favorite as I have been knowing Dr. Riegl since I joined Diamond Aircraft in 2006. It has always been an absolute honor and pleasure to work with everyone at RIEGL Laser Measurement Systems over the last 15 years. To have the world’s most modern and state-of-art airborne scanner manufacturer as a partner and customer is an outstanding privilege. Looking forward to deliver this unit personally to Dr. Riegl and his team.”

RIEGL VQ 1460 Integration 2

Dr. Johannes Riegl, CEO and enthusiastic pilot himself, commented: “After many years of successfully using our Diamond DA42 MPP for test flights, the increased development and production expansion of our range of high-end airborne laser scanners means that it is now also appropriate to expand and modernize our aircraft fleet. The DA62 SurveyStar is exactly the right device to continue to be at the cutting edge of technology also in the field of aviation for many years to come. Not to mention, that I also personally look forward with enthusiasm to pilot this beautiful bird myself in the future.”

About Diamond Aircraft’s Special Mission Concept

Like no other special mission aircraft supplier, Diamond Aircraft has taken its special mission concept into a 360° turnkey solution: one single point of contact. The special mission turnkey solutions comprise a cost-efficient fixed wing remote sensing Diamond Aircraft platform, airborne sensors, data-links, ground stations, global support, spare parts, tooling, transport as well as the corresponding pilot, operator and maintenance training. To find out more, please visit: www.diamondaircraft.com/en/special-mission/special-mission-concept.

About the DA62 MPP

The DA62 MPP is the latest variant of Diamond Aircraft’s successful Special Mission Aircraft portfolio. The all-carbon-fibre, twin-engine aircraft is equipped with a state-of-the-art glass cockpit and a fully integrated autopilot. It is powered by two turbo charged jet-fuel engines with superb fuel efficiency. The carbon fibre material provides for unlimited airframe life and is not subject to corrosion, even when operated in saline and humid environments. Together, fuel efficiency and the unlimited airframe life combine for extremely low direct operating costs, making the DA62 MPP the most cost-efficient Special Mission Aircraft in its class. To learn more about the DA62 MPP capabilities, please visit: www.diamondaircraft.com/en/special-mission/aircraft/da62-mpp/overview

About RIEGL

With more than 40 years of experience in the research, development and production of laser rangefinders, distance meters, and LiDAR sensors and systems RIEGL delivers proven innovations in 3D. The combination of RIEGL‘s state-of-the-art hardware for terrestrial, industrial, mobile, airborne, bathymetric and UAV-based laser scanning with appropriate, equally innovative RIEGL software packages for data acquisition and processing results in powerful solutions for multiple fields of application in surveying. RIEGL has always been committed to delivering the highest performance, quality, reliability, and longevity of all its products and services, and strict adherence to applicable international standards is a priority.

About RIEGL’s Scanners and Systems for Airborne Application

RIEGL Ultimate LiDAR Technology is focusing on pulsed time-of-flight laser radar technology in multiple wavelengths and provides pure digital LiDAR signal processing, unique methodologies for resolving range ambiguities, multiple targets per laser shots, optimum distribution of measurements, calibrated amplitudes and reflectance estimates, as well as the seamless integration and calibration of systems. In airborne mapping applications, the wide array of performance characteristics serves as a valuable tool for collecting high-resolution data of the Earth’s surface for a variety of applications. RIEGL offers stand-alone airborne laser scanners, like the VQ-580 II-S or the VQ-780 II-S, ready for integration in customer-specific airborne mapping systems. With the VQ-1560 II-S, the VQ-1260, or the VQ-1460, the user is provided with a high-end Waveform Processing Airborne Mapping System suitable for a wide field of application – from high point-density wide area mapping to ultra-high resolution city mapping or corridor mapping. Additionally, the VQ-880-G II topo-bathymetric airborne laser scanning system offers the acquisition of data from above and below the water surface in applications like coastline and shallow water mapping.