AEDC beginnings remembered during the 65th anniversary

  • Published
  • By Raquel March
  • AEDC/PA
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, TENN. --  When Gen. Henry "Hap" Arnold realized the potential for an air engineering facility that would advance the Army Air Corps air power development, it was the beginning of AEDC history.

It wasn't until June 25, 1951, that Arnold's vision, "An Air Force Second to None," was taking shape in Middle Tennessee and marked during the dedication of the Arnold Engineering Development Center, currently known as the Arnold Engineering Development Complex.

This year marks the 65th anniversary since the dedication when the facility was renamed to honor Gen. Arnold.

"It is most appropriate that this center for pioneering in the science of flight should bear the name General Henry H. Arnold," said President Harry S. Truman. "'Hap' Arnold was a great pioneer in the development of our Air Force... He knew that you can't have a first-class Air Force with second-class aircraft.

"The scientists who work here will explore what lies on the other side of the speed of sound. This is part of our effort to make our air power the best in the world - and to keep it the best in the world. This applies to the planes of the Air Force, the Navy and our Marines. It applies to our guided missiles and all the future developments that science may bring."

Approximately nine years of research lead to the development of the Complex during the 1940s with direction from scientists such as Dr. Theodore von Kármán, Dr. Frank Wattendorf and members of the Scientific Advisory Group at the request of Gen. Arnold. The SAG was formed to provide recommendations on the path forward for aviation research and to study the German test facilities used during WWII. During their travels, they visited the Bavarian Motor Works aircraft engine factory in Munich, the Aerodynamic Laboratory at Penemunde and a large wind tunnel under construction at Oetztal in the Tyrolian Alps.

After von Kármán, Wattendorf and the SAG returned from Germany, they submitted their findings in the report "Toward New Horizons". The report was a blueprint for a facility that could be used to study and develop jet propulsion, supersonic aircraft and ballistic missiles.

Wattendorf suggested in his report called "The Trans-Atlantic Memo", also part of "Toward New Horizons", that parts from the German facilities should be shipped to the U.S. to be used in the new testing development. Shipping began in 1945 and the German parts were installed in the Air Engineering Development Center or AEDC and other U.S. locations. Many of the facility parts may be seen in the Engine Test Facility today.

As plans progressed, Sverdrup & Parcel, Inc. was contracted to conduct a survey to select a location for AEDC. The three locations that were considered included Moses Lake, Wash.; Grand Wash Cliffs, Ariz.; and the Tennessee Valley. Redstone Arsenal in Alabama was the chosen site in the Tennessee Valley because the Arsenal was planned for closure. The closure didn't occur and in 1948 Tennessee Senator Kenneth McKellar led an effort to donate Camp Forrest to the Air Force for AEDC.

The site was accepted by the Air Force and $100 million was provided for the construction of AEDC through the Unitary Wind Tunnel and Air Engineering Development Act of 1949.

"After Camp Forrest closed in 1946, the state of Tennessee had all this land and it was a great fit for AEDC," said AEDC Historian Chris Rumley. "The testing site was somewhat isolated for protection and secrecy, had plenty of water from the Elk River for cooling, and had room for expansion if necessary. AEDC was the first Air Force base constructed after WWII and was built during a time of military cutbacks."

Three testing facilities - the Engine Test Facility, the von Karman Gas Dynamics Facility and the Propulsion Wind Tunnel - provided initial testing at the Complex.

The construction of ETF was completed in 1953. That same year the first AEDC test of the J47 turbojet engine, used in the B-47 bomber, was conducted. The VKF E-1 test cell was completed in 1953 followed by the PWT transonic wind tunnel in 1955.

Additional test cells were added throughout the years and tests have been conducted for aerospace programs such as the Atlas, Titan, Apollo and space shuttle; aircraft such as the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter and the F-22A Raptor; and satellites and missiles such as the NAVSTAR GPS and Minuteman ICBM.

Today the Complex has 28 active test cells that test turbine and jet engines, flight aerodynamics, rockets and missiles, and materials for the Department of Defense, Army, Navy and Air Force, as well as commercial industry.

Historical information for this story was compiled from the "Beyond the Speed of Sound" book.

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