Wind Tunnel Testing

I made an unexpected detour to Lake Placid this week. I thought it would be in my best interest to use the push track before the next trip to Calgary. It’s been a great visit and I also had the opportunity to spend time in a wind tunnel for the first time. Three of us tested the aerodynamics of different sled positions, helmets, speed suits, etc. It was an extremely helpful tool and yet another unique experience I can add to my list.We used a facility that has worked on projects such as refining the aerodynamics of military fighter jet parts, analyzing water particle flow with elite swimmers and tons of commercial products. Let’s just say we worked with some really awesome “geeks”. Most of the things they talked about sounded like an entirely different language, which then needed to be translated multiple times over! Haha I loved math and science in school but these students and aerodynamicists are on a whole different level. They may have thought what we did was cool, but trust me, we were twice as impressed with their skills.

Basically, this team built a special platform for us to do our testing. We laid on our sled in the path of a 70 mph constant blast of air. We could see a computer screen that showed us the graph of the drag we were producing and a live video of our position. When we’re in the tunnel, we couldn’t hear anything so they were able to use written communication through the computer to talk to us. I was in there for about 20min and I was so exhausted afterwards. Holding your position for a length of time with wind pelting at you head on is tougher than it looks. It was a long, tiring day but very productive. I’m walking away with some useful information and a bunch of ideas for the next chance we get to do this.