Book 23, Question 22
How Do Wind Tunnels Help Engineers Test Wings?
How do engineers test new wings before building a plane? They use a giant tube with a fan. It is called a wind tunnel! Some wind tunnels are big enough to hold a whole real airplane.
More fun facts
- NASA Langley's Full-Scale Tunnel opened in May 1931 and was the largest wind tunnel in the world until 1945.
- Two giant propellers, each about 35 feet across, blew air through it at speeds from 25 to 118 mph.
- The first full-size plane tested there was a Navy Corsair biplane, in May 1931.
- After changes suggested by the tests, that plane's top speed rose from 250 mph to 281 mph.
- Engineers also tested submarines, parachutes and even the Mercury space capsule in that tunnel.
- Today the biggest test section is the 80 by 120 foot tunnel at NASA Ames in California, big enough for full-size aircraft.
- The 80 by 120 foot tunnel can blow air at up to 100 knots.
Questions kids ask
Is that old NASA tunnel still running?
No. NASA closed it in October 1995 and handed it to Old Dominion University.