University spends £2m on wind tunnels for students

A university hopes a £2m investment in wind tunnels will put it at the forefront of aerospace teaching facilities.

The University of Hertfordshire has also invested in new flight simulators and testing equipment.

Students will be able to use the wind tunnels to investigate aerodynamics and test forces on their aircraft design.

Peter Thomas, principal lecturer in aerospace engineering, said: "We are replacing an old wind tunnel which was harder to maintain with a brand new one, as well as having other additional wind tunnels."

The university is currently installing a new bespoke high-speed impact tester that can model the impact of ice, hail and bird strikes.

It is estimated there are about 450 students on aerospace engineering courses at the university.

"It is not common to find this kind of equipment in academia so we are very pleased to have it," Mr Thomas added.

Matt Goodro, principal lecturer in engineering and technology, said the new facilities would greatly enhance the range of capabilities his students could learn from.

He explained: "One completely new element is how we will be using augmented reality inside a Cessna flight simulator cockpit to collect data about how a pilot reacts and studying the ergonomics of flying an aircraft.

"We will also be able to fly aircraft that do not exist at all, from purely theoretical designs, and we have even taken designs from the 1930s that were never built to model how those might perform."