posted 09-13-2009 06:17 PM
It's sad to see this facility go. A little info: the test section is 30 feet by 60 feet in size and is subsonic in speed if I recall correctly. The tunnel was used extensively to test military aircraft in World War II, among them the P-51 and P-38 among others. The tunnel was unique at the time as it could hold a full size aircraft in the test section and not just scale models.
The tunnel is interesting to see from the outside because its built of concrete as a cost saving measure during the depression.
As the video says, NASA stopped using it in 1995 however it doesn't say in the video that Old Dominion University has operated it for several years now for research. Some NASCAR race teams have also done testing there over the years.
The tunnel is one of several Langley sights that are on the Registry of National Historic Landmarks. Others include the National Transonic Test Facility, Impact Dynamics Test Facility, Rendezvous and Docking training facility, and the Variable Density wind tunnel.
I spent several years as an educator for the Langley visitor center and was lucky enough to visit this tunnel once and it was an incredible sight to see.
posted 09-11-2009 11:01 AM
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