This applied aerodynamics laboratory owned by Western Michigan University (WMU) was converted from an existing hangar/engine testing facility donated to the University by McDonnell Douglas Aerospace, now part of The Boeing Company.

Located at the Kalamazoo-Battle Creek International Airport, the new facility, which comprises a control room and a 220-foot-long wind tunnel, is used primarily by students and faculty in the Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering and the School of Aviation Sciences for research and instruction. In the future, it will also be available to industrial companies for testing and research.

Because of its large size and high air speeds, the wind tunnel has dramatically increased WMU's research capabilities. WMU faculty and staff can now perform realistic tests of basic air flows around cars, airplanes, trains and buildings, and can test prototypes for area industry.

The renovation required architectural and structural modifications to the existing building to accommodate the control room and wind tunnel. The staff of WMU's Applied Aerodynamics Laboratory has developed a computerized instrumentation system that is being integrated into the wind tunnel.