Hover & Engine Grated Pit Facility

The Hover & Engine Grated Pit Facility is a one-of-a-kind facility for testing the STOVL (Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing) aircraft that directs high temperature and pressure exhaust gases away from the aircraft during high-power vertical operations. The design required in-depth analysis and testing by the Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force. Scale models of the Hover Pit and Jet Aircraft were tested at ARA Labs in Denver, Colorado, and Rolls Royce in Bristol, England, to prove the design concept prior to the start of construction. BRPH coordinated planning with multiple users and testing labs.