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What wind tunnel did NACA use to study the Corsair, and how big was it?

Short answer

The full-scale 30- by 60-Foot Tunnel at the Langley Research Center, in Hampton, Virginia. NACA dedicated the facility on 27 May 1931 and used it to test the Vought F4U-1 Corsair. It was a subsonic tunnel capable of testing real aircraft at flight speeds.

Published: October 31, 2026 · Updated: October 31, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

What wind tunnel did NACA use to study the Corsair, and how big was it?
F4U at 2023 Oshkosh

A full-scale tunnel

On 27 May 1931 the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics dedicated its new "full-scale" wind tunnel. The so-called 30- by 60-Foot Tunnel was located at the Langley Research Center, in Hampton, Virginia, and it was NASA's oldest operating wind tunnel until it closed in October 1995. It was a subsonic tunnel originally conceived for the static testing of full-scale models and of real aircraft at operational flight speeds. By 1931 the facility was complete.

The Corsair in the test chamber

The Vought F4U-1 Corsair was among the many aircraft tested in Langley's "30 by 60." Images survive of the F4U-1 mounted for testing in that full-scale 30×60 tunnel. The facility helped engineers and scientists improve all the high-performance machines the United States used in the war, including the P-51 Mustang and the F4U Corsair.

The "drag cleanup" technique

In 1938 the tunnel's engineers devised a new technique they called "drag cleanup": they subjected an aircraft, such as the Corsair itself, to modifications aimed at improving its performance. Soon after, a long procession of military aircraft was sent to Langley for drag cleanup testing.

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