In the early 1940s pilots and engineers were pushing aircraft tolerances to the limit, occasionally experiencing an unusual and very frightening aerodynamic phenomenon called a flat spin which can render the aeroplane controls virtually useless.To better understand aerodynamic forces including those of a flat spin, in 1950 the Ministry of Defence agency, DERA (Defence Evaluation & Research Agency) built a 16 and a half foot vertical spinning tunnel in Bedford. A large propeller pulls a column of air up through the middle of the tunnel and a researcher places a small scale model aeroplane by hand, into the centre of the airflow and set it into a flat spin. As the model spins downward the operator increases wind speeds until the model’s fall is just balanced by the airflow, then the control surfaces of the model are systematically activated, to find out which ones allow the model to recover from the spin.
The same basic technique that was used at this time is still being used today but researchers now use computers to track unique markers on the bottom of an aeroplane to measure the aircraft’s spin characteristics. Design modifications and pilot training procedures can then be developed to help pull an aeroplane out of a spin, saving it and the pilot from a catastrophic accident.
A fire in the early 1960s damaged several components in the wind tunnel, including the propeller. The tunnel was therefore out of commission for some time. By the time all repairs were complete, there was no requirement to use the wind tunnel again as other testing methods had been found.
In the early 1970s the tunnel’s pressure characteristics were ideal to meet the need for testing of a different kind. Compressed air was stored and blasted past ejector seats and other test objects. By using compression equipment in the adjoining building, the air would be pressurised to up to four atmospheres, hence the need for large airlock doors as seen in the viewing gallery and the portholes in the entrance platform.The tunnel continued in this use until it was de-militarised and abandoned in 1997. The next few years saw both the British Parachute Association and the MOD research the upgrading of the tunnel for skydiving use, but to no avail.
In the winter of 2001, Bodyflight Director Paul Mayer went on holiday to Sebastian in Florida to do an AFF skydiving course. After his level 4 lesson he booked some time at a nearby skydiving wind tunnel to assist with his progression. After a few moments, Paul was hooked and wondered why there was no facility of this kind in the UK.
On his return home, Paul set to work with the help of his friend and business partner, Mike Maddock. Three years of extensive wind tunnel research ensued, resulting in a partnership with Bodyflying Zurich and the acquisition, permissions and funding for Bodyflight Bedford. In January 2005 Paul moved on site with a handful of employees and the UK’s first and World’s largest skydiving wind tunnel was born.