Inside a wind tunnel

ONERA’s S1Ch Wind Tunnel was the biggest until the end of WWII. The tunnel is not used anymore and it was recently saved from destruction and is now classified as an historic building. This wind tunnel was built between 1932 and 1934 and it made possible the testing of a real plane of 12m, with ignited engine and pilot on board. The wind tunnel is 120m in length and 25m high.

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Wind tunnels are amazing places. One of the best jobs I ever had was as a wind tunnel model designer at Boeing, from 1976 to 1983, and at Northrop, from 1983 to 1987. I had a chance to work in wind tunnels in Seattle, Los Angeles, Buffalo, Essington (outside of Philadelphia), and Tullahoma, Tenn. The smallest tunnel was one of Boeing's minor tunnels (they had four or five) in Seattle. It was an open tunnel powered by an engine off a Lockheed Electra. The largest was the Air Force 16T transonic pressurized tunnel in Tullahoma.

A quick google shows that they still build them the same way. A wing and model for Boeing's new 7E7...

The Wind Tunnel