Ideal testing conditions for top notch sports

Every now and then rail and road vehicles, flight components and structural members make way for top notch athletes, such as ski jumpers and lugers, who test new material for aerodynamic properties and perform aerodynamic wind tunnel tests for training purposes.

The success of a ski jumper in a contest, for example, does not only depend on his body position during the flight phase but also on the optimum interaction between the athlete and his equipment. Variations in ski width, length or suit design and combinations of these parameters can be analysed and optimised by determining the respective lift and drag coefficients. The slightest differences in these values may result in jumps that can be longer by 10 meters and more.