University spends £2 million on wind tunnels for students

A university hopes a £2 million investment in wind tunnels will put it at the forefront of aerospace teaching facilities.

The University of Hertfordshire has also invested in new flight simulators and test equipment.

Students will be able to use wind tunnels to investigate aerodynamics and test the forces on their aircraft designs.

Peter Thomas, principal lecturer in aerospace engineering, said: “We are replacing an old wind tunnel, which was difficult to maintain, with a new tunnel, as well as placing other additional wind tunnels.”

The university is currently installing a new specialized high-speed impact tester that can model the impact of snow, hail and bird strikes.

It is estimated that there are around 450 students in aerospace engineering courses at the university.

“It is not common to find equipment like this in academia, so we are very pleased to have it,” Mr Thomas said.

Matt Goodrow, lead lecturer in engineering and technology, said the new facilities would significantly increase the range of capabilities his students can learn.

He explained: “A completely new element is how we will use augmented reality inside the Cessna flight simulator cockpit to collect data about the pilot’s reaction and study the ergonomics of flying the aircraft.

“We’ll also be able to fly aircraft that don’t exist from purely theoretical designs, and we’ll even take designs from the 1930s that were never built to model how they might perform Are.”