Environmental Test Hangar

Descriptive Overview
This Facility simulates the conditions that aircraft, their systems and the aircrew experience in climatic environments. The Facility can also accommodate land/military vehicles or similarly large size equipment under test.

Characteristics of Facility

• A temperature control chamber of dimensions of 24.5m x 25m x 5.4m high. The chamber has a 6.75m high recess for aircraft fins. Environmental conditions can be controlled between +70°C to -70°C. Humidity control between ambient and 95% Relative Humidity (RH) and sun-effect (using solar arrays) are available throughout most of the temperature range.
• A second temperature control chamber of dimensions 5m x 4m x 7.5m. Environmental conditions can be controlled between +70°C to -70°C. Humidity control between ambient and 95% RH and sun-effect (using solar arrays) are available throughout most of the temperature range.
• Low temperature storage trials at -70°C, and operating equipment trials at -50°C.
• Checking of electrical and hydraulic systems using ground test rigs and supply of cold air to run auxiliary power units. Propellers (but not rotors) can be run continuously whilst maintaining the test environment. Exhaust gases can be ducted to the outside of the building allowing trials to be conducted with Auxiliary Power Units (APUs) and engines running. Layers of ice can also be applied to the test equipment within the chamber to check its operation under icing conditions.
• An infra red system with three arrays having a controlled intensity of up to 1120W/m², over a simulated combined area of 50m². A second system replicating the spectrum of sunlight, to expose transparent materials to solar effects.
• Data recovery system capable of handling 500 parameters, with up to 16 pages of real time parameter displays.