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Report - - RAE Bedford (Wind tunnel site) - November 2016 | Military Sites | 28DaysLater.co.uk

Report - RAE Bedford (Wind tunnel site) - November 2016

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silentwalker

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
History
In 1946 the site at Thurleigh was the new base for the second Royal Aircraft Establishment site. The site had several reasonably large wind tunnels, one supersonic and one large subsonic. The supersonic tunnel was dismantled by 2005.
RAE was deeply involved in the development of Concorde and was also a centre for the development of the Instrument Landing System.

The wind tunnel provision consisted essentially of four large high-quality research facilities, which would allow the testing of aircraft configurations and components at speeds from around eighty miles per hour up to a Mach number of 5, or five times the speed of sound. These was (in order of completion) the 3x3 supersonic tunnel, the 13x9 low speed tunnel, the 8x8 supersonic tunnel, and the 3x4 high supersonic speed tunnel (HSST). The numerals identify the working section dimensions in feet, width by height. The 8x8 and the 3x4 were the largest tunnels in their Mach number range in Western Europe. A low speed tunnel was also provided specifically to study the spinning characteristics of aircraft, which was a little understood phenomenon at the time.

The Explore
Visited with @Porker of the night and @obscurity . Was an eventful day to say the least, the morning anyway! We headed to this site in the afternoon for a mooch around. Cracking place and very photogenic. Thought we would turn the lights on as well, would have been rude not to :D After a few hours we hopped in the car and waved mr secca goodbye on the way past :D

On to the pictures,

1.
Control%20Room%202_zpsra9ffu5r.jpg


2.
Control%20Room_zps50h2zhay.jpg


3.
2F_zps37eeh6y0.jpg


4.
3F_zpsb1ourcss.jpg


5.
5F_zpsyr1ra73a.jpg


6.
4F_zpse3zwesmn.jpg


7.
11F_zps4gq3rq4y.jpg


8.
10F_zpsvl7y7qc6.jpg


9.
9F_zpsjonov5vb.jpg


10.
6F_zps0ed3gfhm.jpg


11.
7F_zpszbx1tp4x.jpg


12.
8F_zpsfdj158tm.jpg


13.
1F_zpsl8qqrrao.jpg


14.
12F_zpsi5c4e0fi.jpg


15.
13F_zpswjj6ku2n.jpg


16.
14F_zpsjomvwuip.jpg


17.
Control%20room%20no2_zps66v4rcqw.jpg


Cheers for having a ganders :thumb
 

Darren28

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
History
In 1946 the site at Thurleigh was the new base for the second Royal Aircraft Establishment site. The site had several reasonably large wind tunnels, one supersonic and one large subsonic. The supersonic tunnel was dismantled by 2005.
RAE was deeply involved in the development of Concorde and was also a centre for the development of the Instrument Landing System.

The wind tunnel provision consisted essentially of four large high-quality research facilities, which would allow the testing of aircraft configurations and components at speeds from around eighty miles per hour up to a Mach number of 5, or five times the speed of sound. These was (in order of completion) the 3x3 supersonic tunnel, the 13x9 low speed tunnel, the 8x8 supersonic tunnel, and the 3x4 high supersonic speed tunnel (HSST). The numerals identify the working section dimensions in feet, width by height. The 8x8 and the 3x4 were the largest tunnels in their Mach number range in Western Europe. A low speed tunnel was also provided specifically to study the spinning characteristics of aircraft, which was a little understood phenomenon at the time.

The Explore
Visited with @Porker of the night and @obscurity . Was an eventful day to say the least, the morning anyway! We headed to this site in the afternoon for a mooch around. Cracking place and very photogenic. Thought we would turn the lights on as well, would have been rude not to :D After a few hours we hopped in the car and waved mr secca goodbye on the way past :D

On to the pictures,

1.
Control%20Room%202_zpsra9ffu5r.jpg


2.
Control%20Room_zps50h2zhay.jpg


3.
2F_zps37eeh6y0.jpg


4.
3F_zpsb1ourcss.jpg


5.
5F_zpsyr1ra73a.jpg


6.
4F_zpse3zwesmn.jpg


7.
11F_zps4gq3rq4y.jpg


8.
10F_zpsvl7y7qc6.jpg


9.
9F_zpsjonov5vb.jpg


10.
6F_zps0ed3gfhm.jpg


11.
7F_zpszbx1tp4x.jpg


12.
8F_zpsfdj158tm.jpg


13.
1F_zpsl8qqrrao.jpg


14.
12F_zpsi5c4e0fi.jpg


15.
13F_zpswjj6ku2n.jpg


16.
14F_zpsjomvwuip.jpg


17.
Control%20room%20no2_zps66v4rcqw.jpg


Cheers for having a ganders :thumb
 

Darren28

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
Great pics I only live up the road and been to the RAE control tower have tried this place before but could not get in...any glues would be grateful as me and my son would love to go back, thanks....
 

Darren28

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
Thanks for getting back, is there a glue in your reply, as I said I'm not really into postin threads..but would love to go as its so close, run out of places near to us failing this place will have to go further afield, last visit was the forensic science labs in Huntingdon well worth a trip if you haven't been, keep us posted on any decent places you've been,thanks from the Bedford area
 

silentwalker

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
Thanks for getting back, is there a glue in your reply, as I said I'm not really into postin threads..but would love to go as its so close, run out of places near to us failing this place will have to go further afield, last visit was the forensic science labs in Huntingdon well worth a trip if you haven't been, keep us posted on any decent places you've been,thanks from the Bedford area

If you are being sarcastic won't get you far. I don't bother replying to people who don't put in the effort for themselves. I don't just hand all my hard work and places out on a plate for everyone. I like to see people putting in the hard work and effort like the majority of us on here do, it's much more rewarding.
 

Darren28

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
If you are being sarcastic won't get you far. I don't bother replying to people who don't put in the effort for themselves. I don't just hand all my hard work and places out on a plate for everyone. I like to see people putting in the hard work and effort like the majority of us on here do, it's much more rewarding.
Sorry for spelling mistake, no sarcasm intended....
 
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