Many students may not be aware a world-class research facility, which plays an important role in the development of today's modern aircraft, is hidden on the UW campus.

For the past 68 years, the Kirsten Wind Tunnel has strongly influenced aerodynamics on a global scale. Its influence continues to reverberate today.

Named after former UW astronautics and aeronautics professor and inventor Frederick Kirsten, the wind tunnel is a for-profit facility operated almost entirely by students.

Kirsten made numerous inventions, from WWII air-raid sirens and cycloidal propellers for tugboats to a heat-absorbing aluminum pipe, which is presently manufactured in Seattle. The former professor and inventor, though, is most celebrated for his contributions to aeronautics and the construction of his tunnel.

Ryan Smith and Melissa Emery, both juniors in the aeronautics and astronautics department, are UW Aeronautical Laboratory (UWAL) crew members who conduct routine assessments of the wind tunnel's capacities.

"I've always had an interest in airplanes," Smith said, as he adjusted a new calibration technique on a wing-shaped metal flank, otherwise known as an external balance. "Mainly, I ended up in the wind tunnel because it was related to what I'm studying."

Emery's involvement started out with a personal interest in astronomy.

"Space is what really brought me into it," she said. "The program is aerodynamics and I'm more into the space aspect."

Kirsten first hatched the idea of constructing a wind tunnel in 1934 to compete with the Graduate Aeronautical Laboratories at the California Institute of Technology (GALCIT). GALCIT was the only other wind tunnel facility in existence on the West Coast at that time. Construction of the UW's wind tunnel began in January 1936.

State and federal funding and subsequent research performed by students and staff working under UWAL led to the creation of U.S. transportation aircraft and military multiengine applications.

"The original federal grant was for the wind tunnel to do commercial testing," said Jack Ross, business manager of the UWAL.

In the early 1930s, former timber magnate, Bill Boeing, helped finance Kirsten's vision with a $26,000 loan against future rentals. This gift predicated the unique relationship between the Boeing Company and the UW.

Although Kirsten designed the wind tunnel, it was not officially named after him until 1948, nearly a decade after its inception.

Kirsten wanted the wind tunnel to serve as a research environment for students and staff and offered a less-expensive alternative to the high costs demanded by GALCIT. In 1939, his dream was fulfilled — UWAL opened the wind tunnel and business was brisk.

Companies like Boeing, Consolidated, Davis and Lockheed used Kirsten's wind tunnel the year it opened, accumulating a total of 21 tests. UWAL also ran military tests during the late 1940s for Grumman and McDonnell.

The wind tunnel initially served as a military testing site for the U.S. government with the exception of a post-collapse study of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge and Kirsten's very own Cycloplane.

The wind tunnel's test section is 8 feet by 12 feet in diameter and can generate airspeeds of up to 250 mph. Its seven-blade fans are made out of commercially extinct Honduran mahogany wood. Data is compiled on a floor directly above the test site, where crew members and customers can observe results on computers.

The Kirsten Wind Tunnel is the primary location for aerodynamic testing on campus. UWAL also runs tests in the 3-foot-by-3-foot low-speed wind tunnel. This wind tunnel is capable of reaching 136 mph in airspeed, ideal for testing smaller three- and two-dimensional models.Throughout its existence, several changes were made to improve the wind tunnel's facilities. Boeing donated $2 million to upgrade UWAL's computer systems in anticipation of its 757 program, and the electrical control system was replaced in 2005.

Today, various companies like Nike and REI hire UWAL to analyze products and planes. UWAL conducted 32 commercial tests and four academic tests in 2006 alone. Tests can range from a week to several months.

Although the majority of UWAL test subjects are related to aircraft, prototype airplane models aren't the only articles examined. OneWorld Challenge, a Kirkland-based syndicate tested its keels for the America Cup in New Zealand in 2003.

The wind tunnel also served as an inspiration to Samuel Jones who conducted a tuba concerto based on replicating sounds in the tunnel. UW professor Scott Eberhardt and a team of undergraduate students used the tunnel to test WWI aircraft.

Most notably, in 2003, seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong made a visit to test the aerodynamics of clothing and bicycle equipment.

UWAL is now conducting an academic test for the Aeronautics and Astronautics Department Design-Build-Fly (DBF) Team in the wind tunnel.

In April, participants will compete for cash prizes in the Cessna/Raytheon Missile Systems Student DBF competition.

Reach contributing writer Anthony Shelley at features@thedaily.washington.edu.