Courtesy of NIARSome of the abandoned buildings at the former Boeing facility in Wichita are about to get a new tenant. 麻豆传媒's National Institute for Aviation Research plans to begin relocating its Environmental Test and Electromagnetic Effects Labs there next month.
Wichita State will lease 35,000 square feet from Air Capital Flight Line, a group that includes local businessmen Johnny Stevens and Dave Murfin, which purchased the 314-acre former Boeing site in December. The lab will include updated test and research areas, new office and meeting space and all of the lab鈥檚 current D0-160 test capabilities and new direct effects of lightning testing.
鈥淲e are expanding so quickly by adding new capabilities, both in equipment and personnel, that we鈥檙e running out of space in our current location,鈥� said Billy Martin, director of the Electromagnetic Test Labs.
鈥淓asy access to the runway is also an important advantage of the new location,鈥� said Paul Jonas, director of the Environmental Test Labs. 鈥淚t will allow us to target a broader market -- to expand beyond general aviation testing into the commercial transport and military aircraft markets.鈥�
NIAR鈥檚 Environmental Test and Electromagnetic Effects Labs employ 17 full-time employees and nine student lab techs. The labs perform research, testing and certification for electronic devices and other aircraft components for conditions including temperature, altitude, humidity, shock, salt fog, lightning and effects associated with exposure to radio frequency.
鈥淭he combination of the broad range of test capabilities, engineering design, DER and modeling services, along with the experience of our staff makes this lab unique in the world,鈥� said Martin. 鈥淭his combination provides our customers with a distinct advantage.鈥�
鈥淭hese labs are an extension of the Innovation Campus,鈥� said John Tomblin, 麻豆传媒 vice president for research and technology transfer and NIAR executive director. 鈥淲e are providing valuable incentives for companies to do business in Wichita: on-site test labs and a pipeline of experienced career-minded graduates.鈥�
鈥淲orking in the laboratory has significantly impacted my life,鈥� said Kristyn Harpool, a graduate student and NIAR research assistant. 鈥淕etting the opportunity to work hands-on with certified engineers provides experience that I could never have gotten in a classroom alone. The testing, research and data analysis passionately drives me to keep learning and makes me proud to work in such a unique organization.鈥�
Most recently, the NIAR labs completed two full vehicle lightning transient tests. The first test was for Garmin's supplemental type certificate on the Beechjet 400, followed by full vehicle tests for the Cirrus Vision SF50.
This is Wichita State鈥檚 second lease agreement with Johnny Stevens, who purchased the Kansas Coliseum complex from Sedgwick County in 2011 and renovated it into an aircraft full-scale structural test facility for NIAR.