Sat, Oct 21, 2017
Will Continue To Use The U.K. Facility Through At Least 2024
Boeing has renewed its commitment to evaluating its aircraft designs in QinetiQ’s five-meter (approx. 16.5 feet) wind tunnel in Farnborough, Hampshire, U.K.
The £25 million (approx. $33 million) contract has been awarded under an existing 40-year agreement that began in 2004 and is reviewed every five years. The latest extension will see Boeing continue to use the facility for its commercial aircraft testing until at least 2024.
The wind tunnel’s large size and ability to run at a pressure of up to three atmospheres provide high quality data that can accurately predict an aircraft’s performance at full scale. This helps improve efficiency during landing and take-off, which is of critical importance for both military and civil aircraft.
In 2016, the wind tunnel benefitted from $2.6 million in government and industry funding for a project to apply electric motor technology to the scale models tested in the facility, to represent the effect of real engines. The upgrade improves manufacturers’ understanding of the airflow around the engines, helping them to further refine their designs.
“The wind tunnel, which marks its 40th anniversary this year, has played a crucial role in the development of modern advanced aircraft such as Boeing’s 787 and 777X," said John Anderson, Managing Director Air & Space, QinetiQ. "This continuation of our partnership with Boeing reaffirms the wind tunnel’s position as a vital national asset, enabling this important work to be carried out right here in the UK. It also shows that QinetiQ is delivering on its strategy to ensure the UK has the test and evaluation facilities and skills needed to maintain its competitive advantage."
(Source: QinetiQ news release. Image from file)
More News
Aero Linx: International Flying Farmers IFF is a not-for-profit organization started in 1944 by farmers who were also private pilots. We have members all across the United States a>[...]
From 2017 (YouTube Version): Remembrances Of An Israeli Air Force Test Pilot Early in 2016, ANN contributor Maxine Scheer traveled to Israel, where she had the opportunity to sit d>[...]
"We renegotiated what our debt restructuring is on a lot of our debts, mostly with the family. Those debts are going to be converted into equity..." Source: Excerpts from a short v>[...]
Also: B-29 Superfortress Reunion, FAA Wants Controllers, Spirit Airlines Pulls Back, Gogo Galileo Van's Aircraft posted a short video recapping the goings-on around their reorganiz>[...]
Chart Supplement US A flight information publication designed for use with appropriate IFR or VFR charts which contains data on all airports, seaplane bases, and heliports open to >[...]