Technical Tours Program
(LIMITED PLACES – BOOK ONLINE NOW!!)

OFFSITE TOUR OPTION No. 1   FEE - $65.00 USD
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics - TWO Visitor Tours of the High-Speed Wind Tunnel, Grand Prairie, TX (Total 50 x places available)

Wednesday 19th November 2008 - 1:30 PM
Coach will leave no later than 1230hrs from Fort Worth Convention Center, arrive 1330 hrs, tour to 1500 hrs back by 1600/1630hrs approx.

Thursday 20th November - 9:30 AM
Coach will leave no later than 0830hrs from Fort Worth Convention Center, arrive 0930 hrs, tour to 1100 hrs back by 1200/1230hrs approx.

A visit to the High-Speed Wind Tunnel facility with a tour of the test area to watch a test model being installed in the test section

The tour will last about 90 minutes. Visitors must be US Citizens only and details required for entry will be Full Name, Company Represented, Social Security Number.

Pick up point - will be in all cases ‘Convention Center’ (Houston Street - 12th Street lobby entrance)

 

In operation in Texas since 1958, the Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control (LMMFC) High Speed Wind Tunnel (HSWT) facility provides a variety of high-speed tests for the commercial aircraft industry, educational institutions, military and other government agencies requiring high speed wind tunnel test conditions. The HSWT is a blowdown-to-atmosphere, transonic-supersonic, adjustable-Mach-number facility, with a Mach number range of 0.3 to 4.8. The facility can accommodate highly specialized high-speed tests, such aerodynamic force measurements, flutter, store drop trajectories, inlet performance evaluation, jet engine base-flow simulation and dynamic stability.

The HSWT facility Test Systems Design Group conducts transonic and supersonic testing, as well as consultations on force measurement, balances and transducer calibrations; strain gage installations; and design and fabrication of such critical aerospace testing components as six-component internal strain gage force balances; special purpose balances; complete modeling, components, and modifications; stings and support equipment; and thrust and test stand evaluation, among others. The HSWT facility Aerodynamic Support Services team provides design definitions for testing services, including surface sizing analysis, drag predictions, model design support, and empirical and analytical prediction, planning and test support, as well as post-test data analysis, including results presentation; aerodynamic database creation; and support of 3- and 6-DOF simulations. (Please note, due to US Department of Homeland Security regulations, this tour is presently available to US citizens only).

OFFSITE TOUR OPTION No. 2   FEE - $65.00 USD
Bell Helicopter Textron - TWO Visitor Tours of the Bell Helicopter XworX Flight Test Facility, Arlington, TX (Total 100 x places available)

Monday 17th November - 1:30 PM
Coach will leave no later than 1230hrs, arrive 1330 hrs, tour to 1530 hrs back by 1630/1700hrs approx.

Thursday 20th November - 9:30 AM
Coach will leave no later than 0830hrs, arrive 0930 hrs, tour to 1130 hrs back by 1230/1300hrs approx.

The tour will comprise visiting 2 x flight test hangars - first hangar includes BellAgusta BA-609 flight test aircraft & new ARH-70A (Advanced Reconnaissance Helicopter) - replacement for OH-58D Kiowa Warrior. The second hangar on view is the Shake Test Facility for the V-22.

There are 50 places available which will be broken into two groups - National and Foreign Nationals are accepted

Bus will enter the facility. Contact details required in advance for Bell Helicopter Security and ID to be checked on the day.

Pick up point - will be in all cases 'Convention Center' (Houston Street - 12th Street lobby entrance)

  

Founded in 1935 as Bell Aircraft Corporation, Bell Helicopter (Bell), a Textron, Inc., Company, is a global industry leader in the production of commercial and military, manned and unmanned vertical lift aircraft, as well as the pioneer of the revolutionary tilt rotor aircraft. These unique aircraft lift like a helicopter, then fly like an airplane, at twice the speed, three times the payload and five times the range of a traditional helicopter. Since its founding, Bell has delivered more than 35,000 aircraft around the world, and was the industry’s first manufacturer to obtain certification for the commercial helicopter. Today, Bell remains an industry pace-setter in expanding the scope of vertical lift technology. The Bell Helicopter XworX facility provides basic research through concept development, rapid prototyping and testing of these specialty aircraft.

A major tour highlight will be a sneak-peek at the new BA609 flight test tilt-rotor aircraft, at the very location where the inaugural test flight of the world's first civilian tiltrotor took place in March 2003. Designed for low life-cycle maintenance and maximum operational flexibility, this aircraft offers an operator the benefits of cost-effective, point-to-point transportation, at cruise speeds of up to 275 knots and at ranges of up to 750 nautical miles. Additionally, BA609 flight test aircraft have now flown to all corners of the flight envelope, at speeds of up to 304 KTAS in full airplane mode, as well as rearward and sideward flight in 35 kt. in helicopter mode. Pilots are also probing handling qualities at altitudes of up to 25,000 ft. The BA609 is on track to achieve both FAA and European certifications in 2010, with initial customer deliveries planned for 2011.