Tue, May 17, 2005
The US Air Force's
Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) has been tasked to
re-open the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex (NFAC) located
on NASA's Ames Research Center near San Francisco to maintain a
critical national aerodynamic test capability used primarily for
rotorcraft.
The NFAC was built in 1944 to support research in aerodynamics,
structural dynamics and acoustics. Investigations, using critical
components (especially rotor blades) and, on occasion, full-size
aircraft, focus on the aerodynamic characteristics of new
configurations with an emphasis on validating design estimates. The
NFAC has two test sections. One is a 40-foot high by 80-foot wide
test section capable of obtaining velocities up to 240 knots and
the other is an 80-foot wide by 120-foot high test section capable
of obtaining velocities up to 100 knots. NASA closed the NFAC in
2003 because its use had significantly declined over the last 10
years.
Congressional authorization to begin reactivation of the
facility is anticipated in summer 2005 with the first operational
capability approximately 11 months later. Significant work will be
required to install a functional instrumentation system and
document both procedures and configurations to insure safe,
reliable and effective operations. The anticipated majority
customer for NFAC will be the U.S. Army, as it was when the
facility was open under NASA management.
Under the terms of a proposed lease agreement, NASA will retain
ownership of the facility while AEDC operates and maintains the
NFAC with NASA providing general support services such as fire
protection, security, custodial services, etc. Work to reopen NFAC
won't start until the lease agreement is satisfactory to both NASA
and the Air Force.
AEDC will operate the facility as a separate detachment,
reporting directly to the center's commander. The center has been
successful operating its Hypervelocity Tunnel 9 in White Oak, Md.,
under the same arrangement for the last decade.
AEDC is the nation's largest complex of flight simulation test
facilities. The center was dedicated in June 1951 by President
Harry Truman and named after 5-star General of the Air Force Henry
'Hap' Arnold, visionary leader of the Army Air Forces in World War
II and the only airman to hold 5-Star rank. Today, this $7.8
billion complex has some 58 aerospace test facilities. The test
facilities simulate flight from subsonic to hypersonic speeds at
altitudes from sea level to space. Almost every high performance
aircraft used by the Department of Defense today, all NASA manned
spacecraft and many commercial aircraft have been tested in AEDC's
facilities. Today the center is testing the next generation of
aircraft and space systems.
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