Transonic aerodynamics—especially in terms of the transonic wind tunnel—constitutes a critical chapter of aerodynamic science. This engineering text explores numerous related areas, including wall interference corrections in conventional wind tunnels, subsonic flow in a variety of wind tunnels, and test results from transonic wind tunnels.
Combining knowledge and experience, this survey begins with a review of the history of transonic test facility development. It proceeds to examinations of the flow around airplanes in free flight, experiments in slotted and perforated wind tunnels, supersonic wall interference in partially open test sections, boundary layer growth along partially open walls, the power requirements of transonic wind tunnels, and other topics. The text concludes with a list of transonic wind tunnels and their main characteristic data.