Built in 1944 and closed by budget cuts in 2003, the US National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex at NASA Ames Research Centre in Moffett Field, California has re-opened for rotorcraft testing. The US Air Force's Arnold Engineering Development Center has taken over operation of the windtunnel complex under a lease deal signed in 2006. The first tests, in the 12 x 24m (40 x 80ft) tunnel, involve a full-scale Boeing rotor that uses smart materials to drive on-blade trailing edge flaps. A Sikorsky rotor with individual blade control will be tested later this year.
Source: Flight International