Sage Action, Inc. was founded in 1968 by Dr. Donald E. Ordway in Ithaca, New York, to develop a practical way to make airflow visible.
The work was funded by the Office of Naval Research. In June 1971, Naval Research Reviews published “Several Neutrally-Buoyant Bubble Generators for Aerodynamic Flow Visualization” by R. W. Hale, P. Tan and D. E. Ordway — the paper that documented the ONR/SAI bubble generator system and established the technique.
Three years later the U.S. Army was using a Sage Action Model 3 Bubble Generator in the wind tunnel at Moffett Field, and reporting that it resolved vortex structure that smoke could not show at all.
The company has manufactured helium bubble generator systems continuously ever since. In 2014 it moved to Pinetop, Arizona, where it is run today by Brad Ordway, Dr. Ordway’s son.
Every system is built to order, tested and calibrated before it ships, and comes with a calibration sheet. One year warranty and technical support.
We review feasibility with customers before accepting an order. Systems are custom-built, so if a configuration won’t do what you need, we would rather establish that before you buy it than after.