Preliminary Design of a Test Rig for the Wright Laboratory's Vertical Wind Tunnel

The Air Force currently lacks a facililty to perform rapid turn-around parametric evaluation of low-speed, high angle-of-attack configuration development, modifications and flow field investigations. With the current trends in aircraft design and execution driving maneuvering requirements for military aircraft to progressively higher angles of attack the need for such a facility is becoming paramounnt. The availability of the existing research facility at Wright Laboratory's Vertical Wind Tunnel provides the opportunity to develop test apparatus to provide the necessary static and dynamic test information for the appropriate analysis and simulation of aircraft characteristics. As a result, a thorough evaluation of the Air Force facility in conjunction with future test requirements must be made to ensure that the new test apparatus will be capable of providing all required test data and will be of high quality.