The big wind tunnels of the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex (NFAC) at the NASA Ames Research Center are back in business under new management. The US Air Force Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) is leasing the California complex with its 40 by 80 ft and 80 by 120 ft tunnels from NASA for 25 years in five-year increments. The civilian space agency mothballed the cavernous tunnels in 2003, but AEDC has restarted the tunnel mechanical systems, installed a new data system tailored to rotor craft research, and preserved a unique body of wind tunnel expertise. According to NFAC director, Air Force Colonel Vincent Albert, "It's not just the hardware; it's the intellectual capital you build upon doing the research ... If we had waited five years we would have lost experienced people - our brain trust."
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