Naca

A LMAL carpenter prepares full scale wings for flight research, 1920. Photograph published in Winds of Change, 75th Anniversary NASA publication (page 36), by James Schultz. Published in Engineer in Charge, NAS More

Model of the XN2Y-1 for testing in 15-Foot Spin Tunnel. This was one of two balsa wood models (the other was a 1/12-scale model of the F4B-2) for initial testing and calibration of the new tunnel. Researchers w More

A LMAL carpenter prepares full scale wings for flight research, 1920. Photograph published in Winds of Change, 75th Anniversary NASA publication (page 36), by James Schultz. Published in Engineer in Charge, NAS More

The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA)'s first wind tunnel,Located at Langley Field in Hampton,VA,was an open-circuit wind tunnel completed in 1920. Essentially a replica of the ten-year-old tun More

Installing the U.S.A. 35B airfoil test section for testing in the Variable-Density Tunnel(VDT). The VDT Log Book entry for January 3, 1925 notes that this airfoil was installed "for a test with the new big stre More

Fire gutted interior of Variable-Density Tunnel (VDT). On August 1, 1927 a major fire broke out inside the VDT. Clean-up, repair, redesign and reinstallation of equipment took about 8 months. From the Variable More

Model of Sperry Messenger (U.S.A. 5 airfoil) being tested inside the Variable-Density Tunnel (VDT). The tests were run in early January 1925. Testing was suspended on January 15th "until model and airplane coul More

Equipment used for pressurizing the Variable-Density Tunnel (VDT): The VDT tunnel is on the right; the compressors are on the left. Figure 4 in the NACA Technical Report 227 (Part 2) identifies each piece of eq More

Sperry M-1 Messenger: The Sperry M-1 Messenger mounted for testing in the Propeller Research Tunnel, 1927. NASA Identifier: L2067

Fire gutted interior of Variable-Density Tunnel (VDT). On August 1, 1927 a major fire broke out inside the VDT. Clean-up, repair, redesign and reinstallation of equipment took about 8 months. From the Variable More

This Boeing PW-9 was built with strong tail surfaces and fuselage for the systematic investigation of pressure distribution. Although the PW-9 designation would seem to mark a military aircraft, the NACA Boeing More

View of the interior of the exit cone of the Variable-Density Tunnel (VDT) during its brief period of operation as an open throat design. After the fire, the VDT section engineers decided to convert the tunnel More

In aviation's youth, instrument panels and controls were models of simplicity - at least compared with those of modern aircraft. The cockpit illustrated is a Fairchild FC-2W2 from 1928. Photograph published in More

Tunnel interior views of USS Los Angeles Airship. US Navy airship in flight. Tunnel installation set-up. The device mounted at the tower's apex made a turning radius measurement of the Navy Dirigible U.S.S. Los More

View of the interior of the exit cone of the Variable-Density Tunnel (VDT) during its brief period of operation as an open throat design. After the fire, the VDT section engineers decided to convert the tunnel More

Standing on the PRT balance are five of the six men who comprised the majority of the PRT engineering staff in 1928. From left to right: Fred Weick, Ray Windler, William H. Herrnstein, Jr., John L. Crigler, and More

In aviation's youth, instrument panels and controls were models of simplicity - at least compared with those of modern aircraft. The cockpit illustrated is a Fairchild FC-2W2 from 1928. Photograph published in More

This diagram, based on a LMAL drawing from 1928, illustrates the Lab's plan for correcting the turbulent airflow that had plagued the original Variable Density Tunnel. Notice in particular the change from open- More

Standing on the PRT balance are five of the six men who comprised the majority of the PRT engineering staff in 1928. From left to right: Fred Weick, Ray Windler, William H. Herrnstein, Jr., John L. Crigler, and More

Installation of Full Scale Tunnel (FST) power plant. Virginia Public Service Company could not supply adequate electricity to run the wind tunnels being built at Langley. (The Propeller Research Tunnel was powe More

Model of Full-Scale Tunnel (FST) under construction. On June 26, 1929, Elton W. Miller wrote to George W. Lewis proposing the construction of a model of the full-scale tunnel . "The excellent energy ratio obtai More

Model of Full-Scale Tunnel (FST) under construction. On June 26, 1929, Elton W. Miller wrote to George W. Lewis proposing the construction of a model of the full-scale tunnel . "The excellent energy ratio obtai More

Interior view of Full-Scale Tunnel (FST) model. On June 26, 1929, Elton W. Miller wrote to George W. Lewis proposing the construction of a model of the full-scale tunnel. "The excellent energy ratio obtained in More

Model of Full-Scale Tunnel (FST) under construction. On June 26, 1929, Elton W. Miller wrote to George W. Lewis proposing the construction of a model of the full-scale tunnel. "The excellent energy ratio obtain More

Interior view of Full-Scale Tunnel (FST) model. On June 26, 1929, Elton W. Miller wrote to George W. Lewis proposing the construction of a model of the full-scale tunnel. "The excellent energy ratio obtained in More

Modified propeller and spinner in Full-Scale Tunnel (FST) model. On June 26, 1929, Elton W. Miller wrote to George W. Lewis proposing the construction of a model of the full-scale tunnel. "The excellent energy More

Model of Full-Scale Tunnel (FST) under construction. On June 26, 1929, Elton W. Miller wrote to George W. Lewis proposing the construction of a model of the full-scale tunnel. "The excellent energy ratio obtain More

In 1922, at NASA Langley Research Center, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautic (NACA), completed the Variable Density Tunnel (VDT), the world's first wind tunnel in which air pressures could be varied More

Model of Full-Scale Tunnel (FST) under construction. On June 26, 1929, Elton W. Miller wrote to George W. Lewis proposing the construction of a model of the full-scale tunnel. "The excellent energy ratio obtain More

Installation of Full Scale Tunnel (FST) power plant. Virginia Public Service Company could not supply adequate electricity to run the wind tunnels being built at Langley. (The Propeller Research Tunnel was powe More

Schematic diagram of Variable-Density Tunnel (VDT) - open throat design. Eastman Jacobs and Ira Abbott note in NACA TR 416 (p. 305) that a serious fire destroyed the tunnel (not the steel shell) in August 1927. More

Vought SU-2 Corsair: The Vought SU-2 Corsair was originally designated the O3U-4, but was reassigned to the scout category of naval aircraft. This SU-2 was tested in Langley's 30 x 60 Full Scale Tunnel in 1934. More

Langley's drag-cleanup studies of the Brewster Buffalo experimental fighter in 1938 were so productive that the U.S. Army and Navy sent most of their World War II prototype and production aircraft to the Labora More

Vought O3U-1 "Corsair" in Full-Scale Tunnel (FST). This photograph was taken in September 1931 after the balance had been enclosed. This aircraft was also used earlier during the summer for preliminary tests in More

Construction of the wood frame for the Two-Dimensional Low-Turbulence Tunnel. The Two-Dimensional Low-Turbulence Tunnel was originally called the Refrigeration or "Ice" tunnel because it was intended to support More

Gathered together in the only facility big enough to hold them, attendees at Langleys 1934 aircraft Engineering Conference pose in the Full Scale Wind Tunnel underneath a Boeing P-26A Peashooter. Present, among More

Construction of 5-Foot Vertical Wind Tunnel. The 5-Foot Vertical Wind Tunnel was built to study spinning characteristics of aircraft. It was an open throat tunnel capable of a maximum speed of 80 mph. NACA engi More

Construction of pontoon hull model to be tested in Tow Tank No. 1. This is a 1/6 full size model of the hull of a Navy PH-1 flying boat. Two typical tests were conducted and included in the first report describ More

Force Test set-up in 7 x 10-Foot Atmospheric Wind Tunnel (AWT). In 1928, the NACA decided to replace its original Atmospheric Wind Tunnel (AWT #1) with two tunnels--the 5-foot vertical tunnel and a 7 by 10 foot More

Engineer is shown adjusting a test model of the Clark-Y airfoil #1 in 7 x 10-Foot Atmospheric Wind Tunnel (AWT). In 1928, the NACA decided to replace its original Atmospheric Wind Tunnel (AWT #1) with two tunne More

Loening XSL-1: One of the first tests in the 30 x 60 Full Scale Tunnel was a performance evaluation of the Loening XSL-1 single engine seaplane, October 1931. The Loeining was designed as a collapsible scout fo More

Wing and nacelle set-up in Full-Scale Tunnel (FST). The NACA conducted drag tests in 1931 on a P3M-1 nacelle which were presented in a special report to the Navy. Smith DeFrance described this work in the repor More

Wing and nacelle set-up in Full-Scale Tunnel (FST). The NACA conducted drag tests in 1931 on a P3M-1 nacelle which were presented in a special report to the Navy. Smith DeFrance described this work in the repor More

Wing and nacelle set-up in Full-Scale Tunnel (FST). The NACA conducted drag tests in 1931 on a P3M-1 nacelle which were presented in a special report to the Navy. Smith DeFrance described this work in the repor More

Force Test set-up in 7 x 10-Foot Atmospheric Wind Tunnel (AWT). In 1928, the NACA decided to replace its original Atmospheric Wind Tunnel (AWT #1) with two tunnels--the 5-foot vertical tunnel and a 7 by 10 foot More

Construction of 5-Foot Vertical Wind Tunnel. The 5-Foot Vertical Wind Tunnel was built to study spinning characteristics of aircraft. It was an open throat tunnel capable of a maximum speed of 80 mph. NACA engi More

Control panel below the test section of the 8-Foot High Speed Tunnel (8-Foot HST). Authorized July 17, 1933, construction of the 8-Foot HST was paid for with funds from the Federal Public Works Administration. More

Control panel below the test section of the 8-Foot High Speed Tunnel (8-Foot HST). Authorized July 17, 1933, construction of the 8-Foot HST was paid for with funds from the Federal Public Works Administration. More

Control panel below the test section of the 8-Foot High Speed Tunnel (8-Foot HST). Authorized July 17, 1933, construction of the 8-Foot HST was paid for with funds from the Federal Public Works Administration. More

Control panel below the test section of the 8-Foot High Speed Tunnel (8-Foot HST). Authorized July 17, 1933, construction of the 8-Foot HST was paid for with funds from the Federal Public Works Administration. More

The researcher is sitting above the exit cone of the 5-foot Vertical Wind Tunnel and is examining the new 6-component spinning balance. This balance was developed between 1930 and 1933. It was an important adva More

The Boeing P-26A fighter mounted in the 30 x 60 Full Scale Tunnel in 1934. Nicknamed the "Peashooter," it was the first Army fighter to be constructed entirely of metal and to employ the low-wing monoplane conf More

A 1/40th scale model of the navy airship U.S.S. Akron being prepared for aerodynamic testing on a ground board at zero degrees of yaw in the Full Scale Tunnel in 1935. NASA Identifier: L11344

Testing a 1/12th scale model of SBN-1 in the 12-Foot Free-Flight Tunnel: The 12-foot free-flight wind tunnel was constructed in 1939 to assist researchers studying the problems of stability and control. The des More

Radial Engines: Pratt & Whitney: In the spring of 1939 Langley's Power Plants Division tested a Pratt & Whitney R-1340 radial engine to determine the amount of thrust that could be obtained by projecting the wa More

Curtiss XSO3C-1 Seagull: Although drag reduction was very important to radial engined aircraft, it was no less important to aircraft such as this inline Ranger powered Curtiss XSO3C-1 Seagull. Here the Seagull More

6-Inch open throat wind tunnel design for the 19-Foot Pressure Tunnel (model constructed in 1936, photograph taken in 1940). NASA Identifier: L19306

Project engineer Sidney Alexander adjusts typical RM-2 model in its special launcher at Wallops Island, October 1945. Joseph Shortal has described this project as follows: "The difficulties associated with cons More

Boeing B-29 long range bomber model was tested for ditching characteristics in the Langley tank no. 2 early in 1946. Photograph published in Sixty Years of Aeronautical Research 1917-1977 By David A. Anderton. More

Boeing B-29 long range bomber model was tested for ditching characteristics in the Langley tank no. 2 early in 1946. Photograph published in Sixty Years of Aeronautical Research 1917-1977 By David A. Anderton. More

Langley's human computers at work in 1947. The female presence at Langley, who performed mathematical computations for male staff. Photograph published in Winds of Change, 75th Anniversary NASA publication (pag More

Technician William Ferguson adjusts coupling on typical NACA D4 automatic control research missile with double Deacon booster, August 18, 1950. Joseph Shortal noted that a new research authorization (RA 1525) w More

Sperry Model 10 Velocimeter, Doppler radar at Wallops Island with trackers P.R. Mears and J. Quillen. Metallic ears pointed to the heavens, this radio tracking device kept tabs on Wallops rocket firings. Joseph More

The women of the Computer Department at NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station are shown busy with test flight calculations. The computers under the direction of Roxanah Yancey were responsible for accurate ca More

This 1949 photograph shows a Douglas D-558-2 undergoing pre-flight operations on Rogers Dry Lakebed at Edwards Air Force Base. Note the small inlet on the left side used for the turbo-jet engine in this aircraf More

This 1949 photograph shows a Douglas D-558-2 undergoing pre-flight operations on Rogers Dry Lakebed at Edwards Air Force Base. Note the small inlet on the left side used for the turbo-jet engine in this aircraf More

The women of the Computer Department at NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station are shown busy with test flight calculations. The computers under the direction of Roxanah Yancey were responsible for accurate ca More

The NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station X-4 research aircraft is seen in this 1950s in-flight photograph. The X-4 Bantam, a single-place, low swept-wing, semi-tailless aircraft, was designed and built by No More

This photo shows the X-15 flight simulator located at the NASA Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, in the 1960s. One of the major advances in aircraft development, pilot training, mission planning, and More

NASA research pilot Milt Thompson is seen here with the mock-up of X-15 #3 that was later installed at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. Milton 0. Thompson was a research pilot, Chief More

On 9 November 1962, an engine failure forced Jack McKay, a NASA research pilot, to make an emergency landing at Mud Lake, Nevada, in the second X-15 (56-6671); its landing gear collapsed and the X-15 flipped ov More

The Douglas D-558-1 Skystreak is seen close-up in this early 1950s inflight photograph. Although less well known than the X-1, the D-558-1 could carry out research roles that complemented those of the more glam More

The Douglas D-558-1 Skystreak is seen close-up in this early 1950s inflight photograph. Although less well known than the X-1, the D-558-1 could carry out research roles that complemented those of the more glam More

NASA's B-52 launch aircraft takes off with the second Pegasus vehicle under its wing from the Dryden Flight Research Facility (now the Dryden Flight Research Center), Edwards, California. NASA B-52, Tail Number More

The D-558-2 is launched from the Navy P2B-1S in this 1950s photograph. The early Douglas and NACA flights of the D-558-2s used only the airplane's jet engine and took off from the runway. This limited the aircr More

NASA's Super Guppy transport aircraft landed at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. on July 11, 2000, to deliver the latest version of the X-38 drop vehicle to Dryden. The X-38s are intended as prototypes for a poss More

The M2-F1 lifting body, dubbed the "flying bathtub" by the media, was the precursor of a remarkable series of wingless flying vehicles that contributed data used in the space shuttle and the X-38 Technology Dem More

In this NACA High-Speed Flight Station photograph the X-3 Stiletto is viewed from above and looking at the left side. The X-3 Stiletto was a single-place jet aircraft with a slender fuselage and a long tapered More

Interior view of the slotted throat test section installed in the 8-Foot High Speed Tunnel (HST) in 1950. The slotted region is about 160 inches in length. In this photograph, the sting-type model support is se More

This photo shows the X-15-1 (56-6670) rocket powered research aircraft as it was rolled out in 1958. At this time, the XLR-99 rocket engine was not ready, so to make the low-speed flights (below Mach 3), the X- More

The NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station X-4 research aircraft is seen in this 1950s in-flight photograph flying near an approaching cloud bank. The two large "X"s seen connected by a line painted on the air More

The D-558-2 is launched from the Navy P2B-1S in this 1950s photograph. The early Douglas and NACA flights of the D-558-2s used only the airplane's jet engine and took off from the runway. This limited the aircr More

The Bell Aircraft Company X-2 (46-674) drops away from its Boeing B-50 mothership in this photo. Lt. Col. Frank "Pete" Everest piloted 674 on its first unpowered flight on 5 August 1954. He made the first rocke More

After the initial M2-F1 airtow flights, the NASA Flight Research Center used the vehicle to check out other pilots. Bruce Peterson was scheduled to take over as the M2-F1 project pilot from Milt Thompson, while More

NASA's Super Guppy transport aircraft landed at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. on July 11, 2000, to deliver the latest version of the X-38 drop vehicle to Dryden. The X-38s are intended as prototypes for a poss More

The Bell Aircraft Company X-2 (46-674) drops away from its Boeing B-50 mothership in this photo. Lt. Col. Frank "Pete" Everest piloted 674 on its first unpowered flight on 5 August 1954. He made the first rocke More

F-8 Digital Fly-By-Wire (left) and F-8 Supercritical Wing in flight. These two aircraft fundamentally changed the nature of aircraft design. The F-8 DFBW pioneered digital flight controls and led to such comput More

The Bell Aircraft Corporation X-1A (48-1384) is photographed in 1955 sitting on the Rogers Dry Lakebed at Edwards, California. This view of the right side of the aircraft shows a middle section that contrasts q More

This photo shows the X-15 flight simulator located at the NASA Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, in the 1960s. One of the major advances in aircraft development, pilot training, mission planning, and More

The NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station X-4 research aircraft is seen in this 1950s in-flight photograph flying near an approaching cloud bank. The two large "X"s seen connected by a line painted on the air More

After the initial M2-F1 airtow flights, the NASA Flight Research Center used the vehicle to check out other pilots. Bruce Peterson was scheduled to take over as the M2-F1 project pilot from Milt Thompson, while More

A group photo of NASA research pilots at the front door of the Flight Research Center headquarters building. In the front row are (left to right) Milt Thompson, Jack McKay, and Bill Dana. All three flew the X-1 More

The M2-F1 lifting body, dubbed the "flying bathtub" by the media, was the precursor of a remarkable series of wingless flying vehicles that contributed data used in the space shuttle and the X-38 Technology Dem More

In this NACA High-Speed Flight Station photograph the X-3 Stiletto is viewed from above and looking at the left side. The X-3 Stiletto was a single-place jet aircraft with a slender fuselage and a long tapered More

Wallops automatic programmer being monitored by F.H. Forbes, July 29, 1950. Doppler radar recorders are behind Forbes. Photograph published in A New Dimension; Wallops Island Flight Test Range: The First Fiftee More

The NACA High-Speed Flight Research Station X-4 research aircraft is seen in this 1950s in-flight close-up photograph. The two large "X"s seen connected by a line painted on the aircraft were used as an aid in More

The Bell Aircraft Corporation X-1A (48-1384) is photographed in 1955 sitting on the Rogers Dry Lakebed at Edwards, California. This view of the right side of the aircraft shows a middle section that contrasts q More

Posing for this photo in front of the M2-F3 are (Left-Right) Air Force pilot Captain Jerauld Gentry, NASA pilots John Manke and William H. Dana. Kneeling is Air Force pilot Major Cecil Powell. These four pilots More

A group photo of NASA research pilots at the front door of the Flight Research Center headquarters building. In the front row are (left to right) Milt Thompson, Jack McKay, and Bill Dana. All three flew the X-1 More

NASA research pilot Milt Thompson stands next to a mock-up of X-15 number 3 that was later installed at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. Milton 0. Thompson was a research pilot, Chie More