Page 2 - October 2026 Insider

INSIDER October 2026

Page 2
Field Trip to SD Wind Tunnel Blows Members Away
(September 18, 2026)

Thanks to Mike and Laurie Roeder’s connection to the San Diego Air and Space Museum,
Martin Garrick, 20 ARCS San Diego members and their spouses had an extraordinary
opportunity to tour the San Diego Air & Space Technology Center’s Low Speed Wind Tunnel
(LSWT) on September 18. Minds were truly “blown!”

General Manager Martin Dine, who holds a PhD, led the tour of this little-known facility,
where aircraft and other subjects are tested at wind speeds ranging from 5 to 270 miles per
hour. The facility is staffed by an industry-leading team of analysts, engineers, and
technicians who study aerodynamics, propulsion loads, and aeroelasticity. They work with a
wide range of clients, producing high-quality data with remarkable efficiency.

Airplane manufacturers are the obvious clients for
LSWT, but it was fascinating to learn about the
many other subjects the team has tested. These
include Olympic cyclists, luge and skeleton
athletes, professional skiers and cyclists, and
more. Based on their testing, LSWT staff can even
determine where the seam on an athlete’s outfit
should be placed to minimize drag. As Martin
noted, “Every thousandth of a second matters to
these athletes.”

The walls of the wind tunnel are covered
with signatures from athletes and
members of test crews representing
some of its clients, including TaylorMade
Golf, SpaceX, and the 2018 USA Luge
team, among many others.

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