Fort Worth, TX · 2014 – 2018
Maida Engineering provided electrical and mechanical engineering and system integration for a vertical wind tunnel skydiving facility. The work resulted in U.S. Patents 10,765,958 B2 and 11,731,057 B2, covering the wind tunnel drive train and control system architecture developed by Maida.
The drive train included a 500 HP, 460 V motor, a 2.5:1 90-degree gearbox, a low-noise variable frequency drive, and a PLC and HMI control system. Maida conceived a more economical and efficient configuration replacing the traditional nacelle-mounted motor arrangement with a horizontal motor mounted outside the tunnel structure, improving both accessibility and maintenance significantly.