Air Force Officers Visit Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory

A group of 60 Army Air Forces officers visited the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory on August 27, 1945. The laboratory enacted strict security regulations throughout World War II. During the final months of the war, however, the NACA began opening its doors to groups of writers, servicemen, and aviation industry leaders. These events were the first exposure of the new engine laboratory to the outside world. Grandstands were built alongside the Altitude Wind Tunnel specifically for group photographs.

George Lewis, Raymond Sharp, and Addison Rothrock (right to left) addressed this group of officers in the Administration Building auditorium. Lewis was the NACA’s Director of Aeronautical Research, Sharp was the lab’s manager, and Rothrock was the lab’s chief of research. Abe Silverstein, Jesse Hall and others watch from the rear of the room. The group toured several facilities after the talks, including the Altitude Wind Tunnel and a new small supersonic wind tunnel. The visit concluded with a NACA versus Army baseball game and cookout.