Eight-Foot High Speed Tunnel
Also known as: Eight-Foot Transonic TunnelLangley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia
Map
Coordinates:
+37.08212, -76.3413037°04'56" N, 76°20'29" W
Quadrangle map:Hampton
Description
Completed in 1936, this is a significant example of the research facilities created by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, the parent agency of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). It was the first continuous-flow high-speed wind tunnel able to test large models and actual working parts of airplanes. It is also a landmark in wind-tunnel design for the "slotted throat" design added in 1950 that made it possible to obtain meaningful test results in the transonic range. -- National Historic Landmark statement of significance, October 3, 1985
National Register information
- Status
- Posted to the National Register of Historic Places on October 3, 1985
- Reference number
- 85002798
- Areas of significance
- Other; Military; Engineering; Science
- Level of significance
- National
- Evaluation criteria
- A - Event; C - Design/Construction
- Property type
- Structure
- Historic functions
- Air-related; Research facility
- Periods of significance
- 1950-1974; 1925-1949
- Significant years
- 1936; 1956