MIT Wind Tunnel Visit Leads To Thoughts On Aerospace’s Past And Future

Over the past 100-plus years, Boeing has delivered amazing aerospace innovations that have changed the world. One key reason why we’ve been able to do this is because we collaborate with the best partners across the globe.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of visiting one of these partners: the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which held an open house at its Wright Brothers Wind Tunnel. The university will be replacing this historic wind tunnel, and Boeing has made a funding pledge to be the project’s lead donor.

During my visit, I thought about the importance of the MIT-Boeing relationship to aerospace’s past, present and future. Among the people who are MIT alumni are Donald Douglas Sr. and James S. McDonnell, two of our founding leaders; Wong Tsu, the first Boeing engineer and the designer Boeing’s first commercially successful airplane, the Model C; and more than 800 current Boeing teammates, all of whom are working on our next innovations. And, of course, Boeing is supporting the replacement of MIT’s wind tunnel. When it’s completed in 2020, it will be the largest and most advanced academic wind tunnel in the United States, and it will allow MIT to continue to be a valued R&D partner.

I want to thank our friends at MIT, including Vice Chancellor Ian Waitz and Jaime Peraire, the head of MIT’s Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, for being gracious hosts during my visit – and for being our partner in aerospace innovation leadership.