Hangar

Designed and constructed in the early 1940s, this laboratory has an unequalled capacity to simulate a wide range of climatic conditions from arctic cold to jungle moisture. Data from tests of some three hundred different aircraft and over two thousand items of equipment has provided information vital to the performance, safety, and reliability of aircraft operating in extremes of weather.

Delta Air Lines’ historic buildings consist of two aircraft hangers and several office buildings at the Delta World Headquarters site constructed between 1941 and 1947. On March 1, 1941, Delta Air Lines moved its corporate headquarters to Atlanta, constructing offices space and Hangar 1, the largest aircraft hangar in the Southeast United States at what was then Atlanta Municipal Airport. The airport was later renamed Hartsfield – Jackson International Airport in honor of Atlanta Mayors William B. Hartsfield and Maynard H. Jackson Jr.

All building materials were made fire-resistant to protect against incendiary bombing. Treatment involved a vacuum process of salt impregnation. During construction, high winds caused a partial collapse of some members. The ruined materials were piled for incineration, but would not burn; so the rubble was buried on site. Years later, a farmer leasing ground on the site plowed up some of the materials. They were reported to still be in good condition.