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When process improvement techniques are applied, additional capabilities may be discovered which may in turn unlock additional techniques to further improve the testing process.
The FAVOR model testing is one recent example of process improvement.
Facility Aerodynamic Validation and Operational Research (FAVOR) Model Testing
A modified F-111 model was tested at in multiple wind tunnels across different centers, with the goal of encouraging communication between different centers as well as to understand the varying techniques that are used in different facilities.
Testing the same model in different wind tunnels allowed project members to see not only differences in wind tunnel flow characteristics, but also differences in methodologies used by the different tunnels, which gives each tunnel suggestions for possible areas of improvement.
The four wind tunnels included the Arnold Engineering Development Center 16T Propulsion Wind Tunnel, the Ames Research Center 11- by 11-Foot Transonic Wind Tunnel, the Glenn Research Center 8- by 6-Foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel, and the Langley Research Center National Transonic Facility.
