Moving along with the wind

St. James-Assiniboia

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This article was published 19/06/2024 (687 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Visitors to the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada will notice a new addition to the space this summer.

A functional, 12-foot-long wind tunnel recently made its grand debut. The project, which took over 500 hours to complete, was a collaborative feat undertaken by 15 students at the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology, with the guidance of RAMWC volunteers.

“I think this was an opportunity for students to get a real world problem and project and work on it together,” said Jared Miskimmin, program manager for information communication technologies and skilled trades at MITT. “It sort of mirrors what (MITT does) in our academic setting, where we mirror what happens in industry. And so this was really, for the students, an opportunity to practice the technical and soft skills that they learn with us and then see all of their hard work come to fruition. So I think that was really exciting for them.”

Some of the students — who came from four different programs offered by the institution — graduated before the project was complete but ended up coming back, he added.

The air tunnel was built over the last year, and has gone through a number of iterations before reaching its final form.

“I think probably the biggest challenge is that there were three distinct program areas that had to come together,” Miskimmin said. “And so again, I think that really emulates what you’ll see in industry.”

Wind tunnels are used to test a variety of different factors that could affect a flight.

“It’s essentially a giant air machine that’s going to show you how air flow affects flight,” Miskimmin explained. “It demonstrates how the wind during a flight will affect the plane’s lift and drag which, in the end, can determine expected turbulence and how much fuel an aircraft will need to get to where it needs to go.

“I think from an educator standpoint, this is just a great visual when you’re explaining it to the students,” he continued. “They’re able to see what you’re talking about … And most people, nowadays, have been on an airplane or will be on an airplane… and so I think this is again just a really neat way of simplifying what air flow does.”

The wind tunnel provides a new learning opportunity for visiting students.

“It really makes things concrete for students,” said Marc Neufeld, an educational co-ordinator at the museum.

“It’s also a way to make flying less scary, if somebody’s nervous about it. Seeing that, ‘‘Ohh, it’s just the way air flows around.’ It doesn’t mean the plane is going to crash. It’s just something that you adjust for the flight. So maybe that’s a way to make it a little less scary.”

”If we can get them interacting with things, that’s always going to have a bigger impact than just talking about something or seeing a video” explained Kristin Trenchard, who works on the same team.

The RAMWC offers a variety of programs for students of varying ages throughout the summer, such as its Summer Fun Days programming schedule, which will run from July 2 to August 20 and will feature educational program sessions for kids aged 5 to 7, 7 to 12, and 8 to 12. The museum also hosts opportunities to see historical aircraft that are brought on-site. Educational programming at the museum, for classroom and events, are available throughout the year.

For more information, visit royalaviationmuseum.com