Calspan Corp. has been authorized to assist military pilots learn how to handle a loss of control while in flight.
The company has been awarded a $1 million contract through the Department of Defense for work in the Advanced Maneuver & Upset Recovery Training program using in-flight simulation aircraft. Calspan testing has shown that even the best and most experienced military trained pilots are unable to consistently recover from loss of control events -- an unanticipated, un-commanded aircraft maneuver that left unchecked leads to an out of control situation and potential accident -- without this type of specialized training.
"Realistic training for the very dynamic and disorienting events that lead to loss of control accidents cannot be trained in currently fielded aircraft simulators because these devices do not reproduce the critical accelerations and disorienting motions of the actual events," said Louis Knotts, Calspan president.
The order was signed Wednesday by President George Bush. Calspan said it received the full $1 million that it applied for with support from the congressional delegation. Calspan Corp. has two local operations in Cheektowaga and Niagara Falls and employs 241 workers.