By Raquel March, AEDC/PA / Published January 24, 2017
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The C-5M Super Galaxy undergoes extreme heat and ultraviolet exposure during the Re-engining and Reliability Program at the McKinley Climactic Laboratory Oct. 21 through Nov. 17. Some of the unique challenges the laboratory crew faced was getting the C-5M inside the hangar. Some of the hangar piping hung lower than the C-5 tail creating an obstacle for the crew moving it inside the hangar. They needed to lower the tail-end of the airplane within inches of touching the ground and jacked up the front-end in order to get the right leverage. Because the airplane's size, the solar panels had to be constructed after the C-5 was loaded rather than have everything pre-constructed. (Photo by Greg Murry)
An F-35 endures freezing temperatures in the 96th Test Wing's McKinley Climatic Laboratory at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Jan. 27. The joint strike fighter has undergone four months of climate testing in the lab to certify the fleet to deploy to any corner of the world. (U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.)
The McKinley Climatic Laboratory, an AEDC facility located here, has chambers where any climatic environment in the world can be simulated.
The capabilities available at the Climatic Laboratory help engineers ensure maximum reliability and operational capability of complex systems as global operational theaters continue to impose harsh environments.