Wind tunnel

In 1999, the wind tunnel in Seewiesen started its work. It is worldwide the second facility of this kind, following the one in Lund/Sweden. It was installed in an already existing building in such a way that the position of the flight section is located directly under the dome of a planetarium.

The original function of this planetarium was the training of astronauts for space. With the help of a centrifuge they were put into a weightlessness-like condition and had to complete different tests on reaction and orientation.

In the first years of studying bird migration in the wind tunnel in Seewiesen, the focus was on questions of metabolism (heart rates, wing beat frequencies, water balance, fat metabolism): How do the animals manage their yearly long-distance journeys from the point of view of energy? What is the “trick” they use to be able to do this enormous physical work, which would be completely impossible for humans?