First Meeting of NACA
On this day in history, 1915, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) formed to study flight. The U.S. federal agency was eventually dissolved on October 1, 1958, and its personnel were absorbed into a new agency we know today as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Read: First Concorde Test Flight
NACA was primarily established as a means to promote industry, academic, and government coordination on projects during World War I. The 12 person committee was initially unpaid and was provided a budget of only $5,000 per year.
Despite these limitations, NACA’s research and development went on to produce the NACA duct, a form of air intake used in current automotive applications, a number of airfoils which are still used in aircraft manufacturing, and engine cowlings.
When the U.S. began focusing on space in the 1950s, NACA’s 7,500 employees and $300 million in facilities were transferred to NASA.
Filed Under: Aerospace + defense
