Description The historical evolution of airfoil sections, 1908-1944. The last two shapes are low-drag sections designed to have laminar flow over 60 to 70 percent of chord on both the upper and lower surface... More
Description: The first meeting of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) in the Office of The Secretary Of War April 23, 1915. Brig. Gen. George P. Scriven was elected as the temporary Chairman More
Description (December 17, 1903) On December 17, 1903, at 10:30am at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, this airplane arose for a few seconds to make the first powered, heavier-than-air controlled flight in history. Th More
The historical evolution of airfoil sections, 1908-1944. The last two shapes are low-drag sections designed to have laminar flow over 60 to 70 percent of chord on both the upper and lower surface...Image # : L-1990-04334
Description (March 29, 1929) Pearl I. Young, the NACA's first female professional, at work in the instrument research laboratory circa 1929. Photograph published in Winds of Change, 75th Anniversary NASA publi More
Description: (February 1928) James H. Doolittle, the NACA's last chairman, visited Langley in February 1928 in his Curtiss Racer, the plane in which he won the 1925 Schneider Trophy Race. Photograph published More
Description: In the spring of 1919, these two Curtiss JN-4H Jennies, which served as NACA 1 and NACA 3 (foreground), prepare to take off from Langley Field. Many of these early flights were done to collect basi More
Description (October 12, 1928) The NACA cowling as applied to a Curtiss AT-5A at the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory, October 1928...Center: LARC .Image # : L-03019
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
(1934) Fred Weick's homebuilt W-1A of 1934, one of the first aircraft to employ tricycle landing gear. Weick and a group of nine other Langley engineers built this small experimental airplane in their spare tim 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
Description: (October 17, 1925) Clad in a fur lined leather flying suit with oxygen facepiece, NACA test pilot Paul King prepares to take to the air in a Vought VE-7...Center: LARC .Image # : L-01118
Description (January 16, 1936) Fairchild 22: This is one of the hardest aircraft to identify in Langley's past, as it appeared in numerous guises. Built as a standard Fairchild 22, the NACA changed the wing, th More
Description (October 12, 1928) Army Curtiss Hawk with NACA cowling. This Curtiss AT-5A is equipped to test a NACA cowling, November 1928. It was the work done on the NACA cowling which brought Langley the Colli More
Description: (1928) Langley metal workers fabricated NACA cowlings for early test installations. Cowlings reduced drag and increased aircraft performance...Center: LARC.Image # : L-03412
Description: (1920) Goggles at the ready, this Langley test pilot and engineer conducted research business high above the ground. In the early years, the flight research team was usually made up of a test pilot More
Description (May 19, 1927) Wright WF3W-1 Apache: In its seaplane configuration, an NACA crew prepares the Wright XF3W-1 Apache for take off from the Little Back River. The Apache was used for engine and cowling More
Description (October 12, 1926) Boeing NB-1: Designed as a primary trainer for the U. S. Navy, the Boeing NB-1 was used by the NACA at Langley starting in October 1926. The float-quipped example used by the NACA More
(June 1, 1927) Fred E. Weick, head of the Propeller Research Tunnel section, 1925-1929, in rear cockpit. Charles Lindbergh in front. Tom Hamilton is standing. ..Center: LARC .Image # : L-1990-03736
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
Description (April 25, 1932) Hartley Soule stands in front of this Fairchild 22 with a leading edge high lift device installed for flight testing. This was the first of three Fairchild 22s to be used by the NAC More
(May 22, 1921) Test section and balance for Atmospheric Wind Tunnel (AWT) #1. The 5 foot diameter circular test section and control room of NACA Tunnel No. 1. A Curtiss "Jenny" model can be seen mounted in the More
Description (June 22, 1921) Active aircraft biplane, NACA 29-38131, with model wing suspended during flight...Center: LARC .Image # : L-00130
Description: The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics in session at Washington to discuss plans to place America foremost in the development of aviation. A report was heard from Dr. Ames, chairman of the More
(c. 1922) John F. Victory (1892-1974) was the NACA's first employee and the only executive secretary it ever had...Image # : L-1990-03731
(June 1, 1922) Workmen in the patternmakers' shop manufacture a wing skeleton for a Thomas-Morse MB-3 airplane for pressure distribution studies in flight, June 1922...Center: LARC .Image # : L-00184
Description (February 3, 1922) The Variable Density Tunnel arrives by rail from the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company. The Tunnel was installed at Langley...Center: LARC .Image # : L-1990-04352
Description (August 1, 1922) Hangar construction at Langley in 1922...Center: LARC .Image # : L-00339
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
Description (August 15, 1930) Installation of Careystone covering at the Full-Scale Tunnel (FST) facility. The corrugated concrete and asbestos panels (1/4 inch thick; 42 inches wide; 62 inches long) which were More
Dr George W. Lewis, NACA Director of Aeronautical Research (1929-1947) first visit to Ames Lab: L-R; John Parsons, William Mc Avoy, Donald H. Wood, Dr. Lewis, S. J. DeFrance, Author B. Freeman, Carlton Bioletti
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
Description: (April 10, 1929) President Herbert Hoover presents the Collier Trophy to Joseph Ames, chairman of the NACA in 1929. Three years later, as part of his plan to increase efficiency in government, Hoov More
Description (February 21, 1931) By August 1929, tests in the Variable Density Tunnel had derived the family of airfoils NACA 0006 through NACA 6721, shown here in cross-section. Published in James R. Hansen, En More
Description (1929) The Langley flight crew installs an experimental low-drag cowling on the Fokker trimotor, 1929. Such cowlings increased fuel efficiency and overall performance...Center: LARC .Image # : L-03333
Description: (1929) Metal workers welding pipe pause for the camera in this 1929 view...Center: LARC .Image # : L-01136
Description: (November 16, 1940) Dr George W. Lewis, NACA Director of Aeronautical Research (1929-1947) first visit to Ames Lab: L-R; John Parsons, William Mc Avoy, Donald H. Wood, Dr. Lewis, S. J. DeFrance, Au More
Description: (July 1, 1929) Langley Laboratory Annual Picnic, Buckroe Beach -- On the barrel to the left is Edward R. Ray Sharp, a future engineer in charge of the NACA's Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory in More
Description: (March 15, 1929) Left to right: Eastman Jacobs, Shorty Defoe, Malvern Powell, and Harold Turner. In this photo taken on March 15, 1929, a quartet of NACA staff conduct tests on airfoils in the Vari 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
This test fuselage (circa 1926) is fitted with Cowl No. 10, the prototype for the first commercial installations. Developed in the PRT to reduce air resistance around a radial engine, the NACA Cowl proved to b More
Description: (June 1, 1926) Michael Max Munk served as the NACA's Chief of Aerodynamics at what is now Langley Research Center. During his time at the NACA, Munk made a number of contributions to the field of a More
May 16, 1932: The Boeing Model 15 - the Boeing PW-9 aircraft. It arrived at NACA Langley in January 1927 and was tested in the Full-Scale Tunnel which was demolished in 2010. In the background is the original h More
Description: (May 23, 1934) Eight of the twelve members of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics attending the 9th Annual Aircraft Engineering Research Conference posed for this photograph at Langley More
Dr. Joseph Sweetman Ames at his desk at the NACA headquarters. Dr. Ames was a founding member of NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics), appointed by President Woodrow Wilson in 1915. Ames took on N More
Description: (1927) Langley administrative office in. Note the blueprints on the table at right lower corner, and rubber stamp tree on the man's desk in left foreground...Image # : L-02204
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
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
Description (September 1, 1928) Drag can present a major problem for aircraft and many of Langley's early research was focused upon reducing aircraft drag. One method was to place a cowling or covering over the 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
Description (July 12, 1932) 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 19 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
Description (1928) Curtiss Hawk with NACA Cowling in 1928...Center: LARC .Image # : L-03018
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
Description (November 5, 1928) Group photo on steps of Langley Research Building in 1928. front row, left to right: E.A. Meyers, Elton Miller, Amelia Earhart, Henry Reid, and Lt. Col. Jacob W.S. Wuest. Back row More
Description: (1928) At work in the metal shop making engine cowlings. The cowlings smoothed airflow over the engine and reduced drag. This increased speed and fuel efficiency...Center: LARC .Image # : L-03332
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
Description: (April 1928) The youthful engineer-in-charge Henry J.E. Reid sits at his desk, April 1928...Center: LARC .Image # : L-02357
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
Description (August 2, 1928) Vought O2U-1 Corsair: Suspended from the roof of the NACA's hangar at Langley Field, this Vought O2U-1 Corsair retains its float undercarriage, a contrast to other O2Us flown by the 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
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
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
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
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
In June of 1930 this Curtiss Bleeker Helicopter was photographed on the tarmac in front of the Langley hangar. The first successful helicopters, however, appeared in Europe later in the decade. (Image # L-04608)
Description (February 14, 1928) 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 engineer More
Description: (October 11, 1939) Spin models under construction in the model shop of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics at Langley Field, Virginia in 1939. These models would be placed in the Spin T More
Description (June 18, 1930) In June of 1930 this Curtiss Bleeker Helicopter was photographed on the tarmac in front of the Langley hangar. The first successful helicopters, however, appeared in Europe later in 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
(July 29, 1940) President Franklin D. Roosevelt visited Langley Field on July 29, 1940. View of President Roosevelt in a car inside a NACA hangar, two unidentified men stand behind the car, and the wing of a pl More
Description (September 18, 1930) 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 m More
This is a view of the huge dirigible hangar with doors open at both ends at the NASA Ames Reserach Center, Moffett Field, California. Lockheed Missiles and Space Company under contract to the NASA-Marshall Spac More
Description (January 11, 1930) Model of 5-Foot Vertical Wind Tunnel. Carl Wenzinger and Thomas Harris wrote in NACA TR 387: "The vertical open-throat wind tunnel of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronauti 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
Description (1931) The original NACA hangars, 1931. The aircraft parked to the right is the Fairchild owned by the NACA. Just outside the hangar door is a modified Ford Model A that was used to start aircraft 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