AEDC at 75: Engine test confirmed complex’s mission
A J-47 engine is prepared for open-air testing prior to being test-fired on Aug. 27, 1953. This instrumentation test, which occurred near the then-under-construction Engine Test Facility at Arnold Air Force Base, was conducted using a specially designed and constructed thrust stand. The first turbojet engine test conducted at Arnold was initiated on May 3, 1954, in the T-1 test cell of the ETF on a J-47 engine. -Photos provided
Gen. Thomas Power, then-commander of the Air Research and Development Command, center, punches the start button on May 3, 1954, to initiate the first turbojet…