real time web analytics
Report - - RAE Thurleigh Wind Tunnel Testing Site 3 x 3 - Bedfordshire - Dec 2015 | Military Sites | 28DaysLater.co.uk

Report - RAE Thurleigh Wind Tunnel Testing Site 3 x 3 - Bedfordshire - Dec 2015

Hide this ad by donating or subscribing !

Els

Obsessed with BS7671
Regular User
Bit of an old one this, it's not been posted up for a while so maybe it's gone now or locked down.

A long while ago I visited the remains of the 8x8 Wind Tunnel Testing Site but for some reason or another we ended up completely missing one of the smaller buildings, namely the 3 x 3 wind tunnel. A lot of time went by but it was always on the bucket list so eventually I went back for a proper look. The 3 x 3 tunnel is very different in that it actually closed around 1983, long before the rest of the site, and hasn't really been used or looked after ever since so has really fallen into a pretty bad state of repair - it's a bit more of a derp than the other buildings. But that's not to say it hasn't still got a lot of tasty bits inside.

Workshops
IMGP7775%20copy.jpg


Administration
IMGP7772%20copy.jpg


Down in the basement there's quite an extensive amount of vintage electrical kit still in situ.
IMGP7768%20copy.jpg


The label is in German so I guess this piece of kit was something that was "liberated" from Volkenrode after the war. It reads...

Grease the the lower switch with Vaseline. The upper switch must not be greased. Only remove large [slugs]. Don't use sand paper. Undertake quarterly/biannual maintenance following included manual B.991
IMGP7767%20copy.jpg


Wiring that borders on an art form.
IMGP7765%20copy.jpg


Stores. There were some luverly "race" type bearings on the shelves.
IMGP7763%20copy.jpg


The main compressor building. The compressor sat on the plinth to the right.
IMGP7758%20copy.jpg


IMGP7747%20copy.jpg


Intercooler building. The wind tunnel passed through the hole in the wall.
IMGP7740%20copy.jpg


The room where the various wind tunnel parts where stored. They where fitted with wheels and could be moved along the central "track".
IMGP7686%20copy.jpg


Observation room. This was by far the best part.
IMGP7689%20copy.jpg


IMGP7732%20copy.jpg


Sensors on the test model in the wind tunnel relay pressure measurements on to which this device would graphically display them.
IMGP7728%20copy.jpg


IMGP7727%20copy.jpg


IMGP7716%20copy.jpg


IMGP7714%20copy.jpg


IMGP7713%20copy.jpg


IMGP7711%20copy.jpg


IMGP7710%20copy.jpg


IMGP7699%20copy.jpg


IMGP7696%20copy.jpg


IMGP7726%20copy.jpg
 

Bad monkey face

28DL Full Member
28DL Full Member
Ah shame. Fancy goinh further afield today an seeing some new places but not sure whats still standing up north sheffield way
 
Top