The Role of Wind Tunnel Testing in the Development of Advanced Rotary-Wing Aircraft

The subject initially suggested for this panel discussion was full-scale vs model-scale wind tunnel testing. However, I don't think this is really the most important question that can be discussed today, so I would like to broaden the scope of the discussion to include the topics listed on figure 1; namely, what are the objectives of our wind tunnel tests, and how do these relate to the type of wind tunnel test required? How well are we meeting these objectives with our current testing practice? Assuming there is room for improvement, how should we change our current programs and methods to bring about the desired improvements?