National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics

The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) was a United States federal agency founded on March 3, 1915, to support and organize research in aeronautics. Its goal was to help make flying safer and more efficient by studying how airplanes and other aircraft work.

NACA made many important contributions to aviation. It developed the NACA duct, a special kind of air opening used in cars, the NACA cowling, which improves engine design, and several types of NACA airfoils, shapes used in airplane wings that are still used today.

During World War II, NACA played a vital role in helping the United States achieve air supremacy. It worked on creating superchargers for high-altitude bombers and designed the special wing shapes for the North American P-51 Mustang. NACA’s research also helped develop the area rule, a design used in all modern supersonic aircraft, and its studies were key to allowing the Bell X-1 to break the sound barrier, a major milestone in flight history.

In 1958, NACA was dissolved, and its work and team became part of the new National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which continues to build on NACA’s legacy in exploring both the sky and space.

Origins

The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) began on March 3, 1915, when the U.S. government created it to help study and improve flying. This was during World War I, and the group aimed to bring together ideas from industry, schools, and the government. They looked at similar groups in other countries for guidance.

Earlier attempts to start this group had failed, but finally, it was added to a bigger money bill for the navy. President Woodrow Wilson signed the law that same day, officially starting the committee with a small budget and twelve members who worked without pay. Their job was to guide the scientific study of flight to find useful solutions.

Research

On January 29, 1920, President Wilson appointed pioneering flier and aviation engineer Orville Wright to NACA's board. By the early 1920s, NACA had adopted a new and more ambitious mission: to promote military and civilian aviation through applied research. NACA researchers used their impressive collection of in-house wind tunnels, engine test stands, and flight test facilities. Both commercial and military clients were allowed to use these facilities on a contract basis.

NACA’s facilities included the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory in Hampton, Virginia, the Ames Aeronautical Laboratory at Moffett Field, the Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory at the Lewis Research Center, and the Muroc Flight Test Unit at Edwards Air Force Base. Starting with 100 employees in 1922, NACA grew to 426 by 1938. Staff were encouraged to pursue unofficial research, leading to many important breakthroughs such as "thin airfoil theory", the "NACA engine cowl", the "NACA airfoil" series, and the "area rule" for supersonic aircraft.

NACA’s first wind tunnel was dedicated at the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory on June 11, 1920. It was the first of many famous NACA and NASA wind tunnels. Though not unique at the time, it helped NACA engineers and scientists develop and test new ideas in aerodynamics and improve future wind tunnel design.

1. Atmospheric 5-ft wind tunnel (1920)
2. Variable Density Tunnel (1922)
3. Propeller Research Tunnel (1927)
4. High-speed 11-in wind tunnel (1928)
5. Vertical 5-ft wind tunnel (1929)
6. Atmospheric 7- by 10-ft wind tunnel (1930)
7. Full-scale 30- by 60-ft tunnel (1931)

Further information: Subsonic and transonic wind tunnel

Influence on World War II technology

Before World War II, NACA helped solve important problems for airplane engines. Engineers needed to make sure airplanes could still have strong power when flying very high. NACA’s team created better designs and testing ways that made this possible. This helped the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress airplane, which became very important in the war. The ideas from NACA were used in almost every big airplane engine made by the United States during the war. Because of this, U.S. airplanes could fly well above 15,000 feet, which gave them an edge that the other side could not match.

Later, when the war started, Britain asked for new fighter airplanes. The P-40 Tomahawk was not modern enough, so a new plane was made. The British chose a design idea from NACA for this new fighter, which made it fly much better than older planes. This airplane was called the P-51 Mustang.

Supersonic research

After early experiments with rocket planes, the United States began working on supersonic aircraft in the 1940s. The Bell X-1 was a key aircraft that broke the sound barrier, and the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) managed much of the testing and research for this project. Engineers like John Stack provided important data and ideas that helped design these fast aircraft.

Later, Richard Whitcomb discovered a way to improve airplane shapes so they could fly faster, called the area rule. This idea helped create faster planes like the B-58 Hustler, which could travel twice the speed of sound. NACA’s work laid the groundwork for future aviation research and helped shape how airplanes are designed today.

Chairmen

The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) was a special group created to help study and improve airplane designs in the United States. It started on March 3, 1915, and worked for many years to make flying safer and better. In 1958, NACA was replaced by a new group called the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA, which took over all of NACA’s work.

Transformation into NASA

Main article: Creation of NASA

On November 21, 1957, Hugh Dryden, the director of NACA, created a special group called the Special Committee on Space Technology. This group, also known as the Stever Committee after its chairman Guyford Stever, worked to bring together different parts of the U.S. government, private companies, and universities to help NACA develop a space program.

After the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1 in October 1957, it became clear that the U.S. needed to act quickly. On January 14, 1958, Dryden published a report calling for an energetic program of research and development to explore space. He suggested that a new national civilian agency, working closely with military groups, should handle this scientific research.

By March 5, 1958, James Killian, who advised President Dwight D. Eisenhower, recommended creating a new agency based on NACA. He pointed out that NACA already had 7,500 employees and facilities worth $300 million, which could help start a civil space program quickly.