AFRL, Boeing Demonstrate That UAVs Can Perform Automated Aerial Refueling

Aviation News by Marcel van Leeuwen
112/4/2007

ST. LOUIS, Dec. 04, 2007 — Can an unmanned air vehicle be made smart enough to autonomously rendezvous with a tanker aircraft and refuel? Based on recently concluded flight tests by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory and Boeing [NYSE: BA], it can.

“By adding an automated aerial refueling capability to UAVs, we can significantly increase their combat radius and mission times while reducing their forward staging needs and response times,” said David Riley, Boeing Phantom Works program manager for the Automated Aerial Refueling (AAR) program.

The goal of the government-industry AAR program is to develop and demonstrate systems that will enable UAVs to safely approach and maneuver around tanker aircraft so they can successfully perform boom and receptacle refueling operations. The systems — including a flight control computer and control laws developed by Boeing Phantom Works — are demonstrated using a Calspan Learjet specially equipped to fly autonomously as a UAV.

During a recent flight test, the AAR system autonomously guided the Learjet “UAV” up to a Boeing KC-135R tanker and successfully maneuvered it among seven air refueling positions behind the tanker — contact, pre-contact, left and right inboard observation, left and right outboard observation, and break away. The system controlled the Learjet for more than 1 hour and 40 minutes and held the aircraft in the critical contact position for 20 minutes.

While a pilot flies the Learjet to and from the vicinity of the tanker and stands by to take over if necessary, he does not otherwise control the aircraft during the refueling maneuvering portion of the experiment.

“These tests show that we are making great advancements in system integrity, continuity and availability through improved relative navigation algorithms, control laws and hardware,” Riley said. “They also show we are making great strides toward transitioning AAR technology into production.”

Plans call for a follow-on Phase II program that will include autonomous multi-ship operations and delivery of fuel to the surrogate UAV.

The AAR team includes a diverse set of government and contractor organizations. The U.S. government team includes:

• The Air Vehicles, Sensors, Human Effectiveness and Information Directorates at the Air Force Research Laboratory
• Air Force Flight Test Center and Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base
• Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR)
• 107th Air Refueling Wing, New York Air National Guard
• 827th Aircraft Sustainment Group at Tinker Air Force Base
• Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Information Exploitation Office
• Aeronautical Systems Center
• Air Mobility Command

The AAR industry team includes:

• Boeing Phantom Works, which built the AAR flight control computer and developed the AAR control laws
• Calspan, which operates the Learjet
• Rockwell Collins, which supports KC-135 operations, builds the Tactical Targeting Network Technologies data link, and produces the GPS receiver card
• L3 Communications, SySense and the Illinois Institute of Technology, which work with NAVAIR to develop the precision global positioning system-based relative navigation system
• Northrop Grumman, which built the INS/GPS, developed PGPS algorithms, and developed an EO/IR position sensing system
• General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, which provides systems engineering and flight test management assistance
• Syngenics, which coordinates the AAR trade studies
• Bihrle Applied Research, which integrates simulation environments
• The Institute for Scientific Research, which develops image processing algorithms
• Coherent Solutions, which develops required navigation performance

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Calspan OK'd for $1M defense work

Business First of Buffalo
11/14/2007

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.

Calspan CALSPAN: Falls company receives $1 million from Feds

Tonawanda News - Niagara Gazette
11/14/2007

The Niagara Falls wing of a national aeronautics company got a big boost Wednesday from the federal government.

Calspan’s Advanced Maneuver and Upset Recovery Training division which operates out of the company’s office building off Niagara Falls Boulevard near the Niagara Falls International Airport, received Congressional approval for $1 million in funding to support research on the training of military pilots using in-flight simulators.

“These federal dollars are going to help Calspan and the Buffalo area fly even higher,” said U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer.

Company president Louis H. Knotts said the funds will be used primarily to support Calspan’s research on pilots handling of planes during upset recovery events. According to Knotts, data from related Calspan research indicates that military trained pilots are unable to consistently recover during unanticipated, loss-of-control events. The unanticipated maneuvers, left unchecked, can lead to accidents, according to Knotts.

“Realistic training for the very dynamic and disorientating 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 disorientating motions of the actual events,” Knotts said.

Calspan goal: Let unmanned aircraft refuel in midair
The Buffalo News
11/04//2007

Spy planes could keep flying without landing for fuel
By Matt Glynn NEWS BUSINESS REPORTER


Bill Wippert/Buffalo News
Lou Knotts, Calspan Corp. president, left, and Norman Weingarten, manager of Calspan’s in-flight simulation and automated refueling program, stand near a company Lear Jet like the one used in midair-refueling experiments.

High above Lake Ontario, a red and white Lear jet trails an Air Force refueling tanker.

When a computer system aboard the jet is activated, the jet moves into specific positions around the tanker, without the guidance of the jet’s pilots.

These flight tests, which took place over a restricted area of Lake Ontario during the past two years, are designed ultimately to help unmanned aerial vehicles used by the military fly longer missions, by enabling them to be refueled in midair. Cheektowaga-based Calspan Corp. has a significant role in the project.

Calspan’s Lear jet, packed with computer equipment, acted as an unmanned aerial vehicle in a simulated rendezvous with a refueling plane. Calspan pilots flew the jet until the engineers in the back seats activated the system that controlled the jet’s maneuvers. Calspan’s “safety pilots” handled the takeoffs and landings, and were ready to take over if problems arose during the tests.

Calspan is part of a government and industry team that includes Boeing working on the Automated Aerial Refueling program for the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright- Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. Calspan installed the equipment in the jet and provided flight operations and logistical support.

When perfected, the technology will allow unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, to autonomously fly up to a refueling boom extended from a tanker.

By refueling in midair, instead of having to land first as they now must do, they can fly for longer periods and respond more quickly in time-sensitive situations, said Jake Hinchman, Automated Aerial Refueling program manager at the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory.

The computer system is obviously complex, since it is responsible for moving a pilotless vehicle close to a refueling tanker and then following the bigger plane safely through its holding pattern.

“The goal is to be able to fly something without a pilot in it within 40 feet of a manned vehicle,” Hinchman said.
Calspan’s work on the project has been valuable, allowing the system to be tested under safe conditions, Hinchman said. “They have really played a major part in our program and have been a good teammate with us.”
Hinchman also gave credit to the locally based New York Air National Guard’s 107th Air Refueling Wing, which flew the tanker during the test flights.

Pilotless aircraft have become an important part of military operations in places such as Iraq and Afghanistan, providing U.S. forces with surveillance capabilities as well as performing combat roles.

“They’re an eye in the sky,” said Louis Knotts, president of Calspan and one of the test pilots.

The UAV refueling system project suits a key part of Calspan’s business. The company has a fleet of Lear jets based at its Flight Research Group facility at the Niagara Falls International Airport that are known as “in-flight” simulators. The jets can be adjusted to fly like other types of aircraft for testing purposes. “They are very easy to modify,” said Norman Weingarten, Calspan’s in-flight simulation and AAR program manager.

Calspan began working on the Automated Aerial Refueling program in March 2004, and has been awarded $2.98 million in contracts related to that program. Its most recent test flights with the system over Lake Ontario occurred last summer.

Calspan will work on the next phase of flights in 2008, though those tests will likely occur at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, Weingarten said. While the technology tests will benefit the military’s use of unmanned vehicles, Calspan officials say the program has also provided a boost to Buffalo Niagara and Calspan, as well.

When the tests were conducted, government and industry representatives from different locations would routinely gather here for the project, giving them a firsthand view of the region, Knotts said.

The tests also had an economic impact on the region, Weingarten said. He estimated that each person who traveled here to work on the project contributed about $1,000 over the course of a week to the local economy, through expenses such as lodging, rental cars and food.

Knotts is also hopeful that the partners involved in the aerial refueling project will come away with a positive impression of Calspan’s facility, its capabilities, and the efficiency of conducting flight tests from the Niagara Falls airport.

“We’re hoping it’s going to pay dividends in the future with follow-on programs,” he said.
mglynn@buffnews.com

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Simulated in-flight training for aspiring test pilotsl
Roswell Daily Record
10/30//2007

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Northrop Grumman tests oblique flying wing X-plane in windtunnel

10/09//2007

Northrop Grumman is beginning high-speed windtunnel testing of the oblique flying wing X-plane it is designing for the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. If built, the OFW technology demonstrator will be the first supersonic, tailless, variable-sweep flying wing.

The high-fidelity model will be tested at speeds up to Mach 1.3 in a tunnel at Calspan in Buffalo, New York as a step toward possible flight tests of the unmanned demonstrator around 2011. Low-speed windtunnel testing was conducted in January, achieving "excellent correlation" with computational fluid dynamics analyses, says programme manager Joe Pawlowski.

Northrop is working under a 25-month contract, awarded in March last year, to complete preliminary design of the X-plane. The preliminary design review is planned for Mach 2008, leading to a decision whether to proceed into Phase 2 and construction and flight test of the subscale demonstrator.

Studied since the 1950s, the variable-sweep oblique flying wing promises aerodynamic efficiency at both low and high speeds, but poses challenges with aeroelasticity and controllability. The goal of the X-plane is to prove the OFW concept is feasible, but not to characterise its performance, says chief engineer Gary Tiebens.

Previous oblique wing aircraft have all been subsonic - and tailed - and the X-plane is focused on proving that a tailless OFW can transition to supersonic speed. The benefit of a variable-sweep oblique flying wing is that airflow normal to the leading edge stays subsonic, keeping the drag rise low as the aircraft goes supersonic.

The flying wing has a span of 17m (56ft) unswept and sweeps between 0º and 65º, measured at the trailing edge. The X-plane will take off and land with the wing at 0º, the sweep increasing linearly with speed until it reaches 65º before going transonic. "It will be fully swept before the transition, to reduce risk," says Tiebens.

The X-plane is powered by two General Electric J85-21 afterburning engines (from Northrop's F-5E). In a change to the original design the previously paired engines are now in separate pods, one moving forward and one aft as the wing sweeps, to improve area ruling and reduce wave drag at the design maximum speed of M1.2.

The demonstrator has "taildragger" landing gear, with the main gear mounted forward between the engine nacelles and a castoring tailwheel, says Tiebens. The nacelles and flight control surfaces embedded in the wing and along the trailing edge are all electrically driven.

Sweep is varied aerodynamically by yawing the wing using the outermost control surfaces - "like a rudder kick to produce sideslip", says Tiebens - then retrimming in all axes to maintain the yawed condition. The engine nacelles rotate to face into the airflow. "They do not rotate fast enough to use as a control device," he says.

Aeroservoelasticity - the interaction of aerodynamic, structural and control responses - is the "Achilles heel" of the OFW, says Tiebens. All three axes - pitch, roll and yaw - are coupled and wing bending caused by manoeuvres or gusts effects stability in all three. The flight control system must be able to decouple the responses.

The configuration's assymetry, its sensitivity to roll moment and the coupling of roll and pitch instability at high oblique sweep angles are among the factors the control system has to alleviate. But the demonstrator's instability is within the range of Northrop's experience with the B-2, Tiebens says.

"The X-plane is not performance-driven. The big push is the control algorithms," says Pawlowski. "The objective is to open up the design space for future aircraft. We want to prove we can fly a tailless, supersonic oblique flying wing with subsonic leading edge and address the aeroservoelastics."

A future operational OFW, envisioned for beyond 2025, could combine efficient subsonic loiter and supersonic dash capability to perform military reconnaissance and strike missions requiring rapid deployment, long range and long endurance, DARPA believes.

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Fort Worth Hosts U.S. Naval Test Pilot School Short Course Program

Lockheed Martin Insight
08/06/2007

One of the keys to conducting a successful aircraft flight test program is having an engineering corps that is well versed in aircraft stability and control and the test techniques involved in actual flight testing. To that end, Aeronautics-Fort Worth hosted the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School (USNTPS) Airplane Flying Qualities Test & Evaluation Short Course June 11-22.

The two-week course curriculum consisted of two phases: an Academic Phase (Week 1) focused on the engineering analysis of airplane longitudinal and lateral stability and control; and a Flight Phase (Week 2) during which the attending Aeronautics engineers conducted an actual flying qualities evaluation in an instrumented airplane provided by Calspan Corporation. The course follows the USNTPS teaching methodology of theory to practice that involves academic instruction, lab simulation, flight briefing, flight demonstration, data acquisition and reduction, and flight reporting.

One of the challenges with hosting the course in Fort Worth was the availability of a flight simulator that could adequately support the course objectives. To meet this requirement, engineers at the Flight Simulation Laboratory developed an indigenous Flying Qualities Simulator. This required the integration of T-50 flight control software with an F-35 control stick and throttle quadrant, generic rudder peddles, and a Quantum 3D computer system driving a three dimensional projection display. Featuring a capability to vary stick force and aircraft dynamic characteristics, the Flying Qualities Simulator proved well suited for student evaluation of aircraft response to various flight control inputs. The fidelity of the simulated flight environment enabled the students to practice classic flying qualities evaluation techniques including pitch/rudder doublets, steady heading sideslips, and bank and pitch angle captures, etc. In addition, the students were able to perform mission relatable flying tasks like air-to-air target tracking and in-flight formation station keeping and assess flying qualities in accordance with the Cooper-Harper scale, the flight test profession’s standard rating scale.

Of course there’s nothing like going through the paces of an actual airplane test flight, and that’s exactly what each student was able to do in Calspan Corporation’s F33C Beechcraft Bonanza. Under the supervision of former Navy and now Calspan test pilot Dave Culbertson, each student conducted a 1.5 hour test flight during which they performed a full range of flying qualities evaluation maneuvers. Configured with a unique instrumentation and data recording system specifically designed to support USNTPS requirements, the F33C enabled each student to capture key flight parameters for post-flight analysis as part of a Navy Daily Flight Test Report.

Nathan Merritt, a senior stability and control engineer assigned to the F-35 Program, summed up his experience, “The course gives us a hands-on opportunity to walk through our flying qualities job using proven flight test techniques and methodology. It enhances our understanding and appreciation of what the pilot thinks is important in designing a quality airplane. In all it was a great learning experience that blended theory with an actual hands-on flight test experience to highlight the fundamentals of evaluating how well an aircraft flies.”

Conducting a two week training course of this nature doesn’t happen without a considerable amount of planning and coordination. This was especially true when it came to safely executing a 12 event flight schedule with a single aircraft and only one pilot during the Flight Phase. In this regard LM Flight Operations had a big hand in making it all work. Whether it was daily flight schedule coordination with Navy Joint Reserve Base Operations, airspace deconfliction with other LM flight events, providing local weather forecasts, or flight line support, LM Flight Operations proved key to the execution of efficient and safe flight operations that met all Flight Phase objectives.

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Calspan Learjet Performs Automated Aerial Refueling Station Keeping Flight Tests
Technology Critical to Future Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Operations

Air Force Research Laboratory Press Release
9/5/2006

The purpose of the AAR program is to develop and demonstrate the capability to perform boom & receptacle refueling of unmanned air vehicle systems with the existing Air Force tanker fleet using operationally representative subsystems. The expected benefits of AAR to UAV operations include: increased combat radius, increased mission time, reduced response time for time-critical targets, reduced need for forward staging areas, and increased in-theater presence. The Station Keeping Flight Test integrates components on both the tanker and receiver aircraft to demonstrate the ability for the receiver aircraft to autonomously hold position relative to the tanker while the tanker executes its standard maneuvers.

During the 15 August 2006 flight, a Learjet acting as a UAV surrogate was manually flown to the contact position behind a KC-135R from the 107th Air Refueling Wing of the New York Air National Guard. During all test flights, Air Force Flight Test Center personnel operated the KC-135. At the contact position where Air Force aircraft could start receiving fuel from the tanker, the Learjet's AAR flight control system was engaged enabling the aircraft to autonomously hold the contact position while the tanker executed both straight and level flight and turns. During the flight, the AAR system was engaged at the contact position for 23 consecutive minutes allowing the Learjet to follow the KC-135 through two full orbits.

Over the next year, the AAR team will build upon the success of the Station Keeping Flight Test towards enabling new automated refueling capabilities. During the August 2007 flight test, the AAR team will demonstrate autonomous maneuvering around the tanker. The Learjet will engage the AAR system at the observation position on the tanker wing and be directed from a control station to go to the pre-contact and contact positions upon approval from the tanker crew. This test will be combined with simulations of both multi-ship operations around the tanker and long distance tanker rendezvous to demonstrate that the AAR capability is ready for transition from the Learjet testbed to Air Force assets.

The AAR team includes a diverse set of government and contractor organizations. The government team includes the Air Vehicles, Sensors, Human Effectiveness and Information Directorates at the Air Force Research Laboratory, the Air Force Flight Test Center and Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), the 107th Air Refueling Wing, 827th Aircraft Sustainment Group at Tinker AFB, DARPA Information Exploitation Office, Aeronautical Systems Center, Air Mobility Command, and Air Combat Command. On the contractor side of the team, Calspan operates the Learjet; Rockwell Collins supports KC-135 operations and builds the Tactical Targeting Network Technologies datalink; L3 Communications, SySense and the Illinois Institute of Technology work with NAVAIR developing the precision global positioning system based relative navigation system; Boeing built the AAR flight control computer and developed the station keeping control laws; Northrop Grumman built the GPS receivers and developed an EO/IR position sensing system; General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems provides systems engineering and flight test management assistance; Syngenics coordinates the AAR trade studies; Bihrle Applied Research integrates simulations environments; the Institute for Scientific Research develops image processing algorithms; and Coherent Solutions developed the required navigation performance.

Calspan Corporation Restructures Transportation Research Group
Names Robert A. Woodill Director of Transportation Research

CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y., November 15, 2006 - Locally-owned technology company Calspan Corporation announced that Robert A. Woodill has been named director of its restructured Transportation Research Group, and that David Roberts, Thomas G. Scheifflee and John Pierowicz were named senior managers of the division.

According to Calspan president Louis H. Knotts, the focus of Calspan's Transportation Research Group will be to expose its full capabilities of testing, data collection, analysis and engineering services to a broader transportation customer base.

"Transportation safety has long been one of Calspan's core competencies," said Knotts. "Since 1948, this company has been regarded as a leader in high-quality, independent automotive safety testing, research, development, testing, and evaluation. Reorganizing this group allows us to build on our strengths and positions us for optimal efficiency, which is great news for our customers."

Previously, Woodill served as director of Calspan's Crash Data Research Center (CDRC), overseeing a team who perform crash research work under contract to the Federal Government. He has been with Calspan for 28 years.

Woodill also serves as the program manager for the National Automotive Sampling System (NASS), managing the quality control facility in Buffalo, N.Y., which consists of 15 police report data collection sites and 14 off-site field investigation teams that conduct crash research throughout the eastern United States. In 1988, he was awarded the U.S. Department of Transportation's Meritorious Achievement Award for his contributions to NASS training. Woodill is a graduate of Empire State College with a Bachelor of Professional Studies degree in business management and economics. He resides in Lancaster with his wife, Diane, and their son, Zach.

Working under Woodill are the following managers:

• Roberts, named manager of the Transportation Science and Test Center (TSTC).
  He has spent 22 years with Calspan, and oversees crash test, tire research, and sled test facilities as well as the component testing and calibration labs. Roberts is a graduate of Canisius College and SUNY at Buffalo, and resides in Getzville.

• Scheifflee, named manager of the Crash Data Research Center. The 28-year Calspan veteran manages the CDRC, which oversees automotive crash investigations at multiple sites in conjunction with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The South Wales resident graduated from Genesee Community College.

• Pierowicz, named manager of the Vehicle Engineering Center. A graduate of Niagara University, Pierowicz focuses on advanced automotive and truck safety systems. Residing in Lancaster, he has been with Calspan for 23 years.
  
  

Calspan President Louis H. Knotts Honored as Fellow by the Society of Experimental Test Pilots
Stanley J. Kakol, also honored as Fellow, chief test pilot for Bell X-22A, which Calspan tested in Niagara Falls, N.Y.

BUFFALO, N.Y., October 31, 2006 – Western New York was well-represented at the Society of Experimental Test Pilots’ 50th Anniversary Symposium & Banquet, held on September 30 in Anaheim, Calif. Louis H. Knotts, president of local technology company Calspan Corporation, was named a Fellow by the Society of Experimental Test Pilots (SETP). Also honored as a Fellow was Stanley J. Kakol, a decorated Navy Captain who spent much of his career flying the famed X-22A – an aircraft that Calspan spent years testing for Bell Aerospace in Niagara Falls, N.Y.

The Society of Experimental Test Pilots is an internationally recognized organization that promotes air safety and contributes to aeronautical advancement. Since 1957, the organization has annually honored the most notable contributors in aviation history.

“Lou Knotts and Stanley Kakol are true trailblazers in the annals of Western New York aviation,” said Paul Faltyn, immediate past chairman, Niagara Frontier Aviation and Space Hall of Fame. “Both are members of our Hall of Fame, which speaks to their many endeavors and accomplishments. However, being inducted as Fellows in an internationally recognized organization like the Society of Experimental Test Pilots proves that their legacy of achievement extends well beyond the Western New York region.”

A decorated engineering test pilot, Knotts has been with Calspan for more than 25 years, and was named president/co-owner in February 2005. In 1996, Knotts took over as head of the company’s Flight Research Department. In 2001, he assumed responsibility for all the Buffalo-based aeronautical research and development operations within the company. Knotts is a retired Air National Guard lieutenant colonel and Air Force command pilot, and holds an FAA Airline Transport Pilot rating.

Kakol joined Bell Aerospace in Niagara Falls, N.Y., in 1964 as chief experimental test pilot. He flew the maiden flight of the X-22A, as well as the first 100 flights of the aircraft, completing all structural and dynamic tests. Kakol is perhaps best known for successfully completing a high-risk emergency landing of the X-22A in which the aircraft experienced complete hydraulic failure in the flight control system. Like Knotts, Kakol is a member of the Niagara Frontier Aviation and Space Hall of Fame.

Knotts and his wife live in Wheatfield, NY. Kakol and his wife reside in Mason, Ohio.
Conceived in 1940, Calspan Corporation was originally founded in 1943 as part of the Research Laboratory of the Curtiss-Wright Airplane Division at Buffalo, N.Y. Internationally recognized for proven excellence in technology and science, the company has built its reputation on a rich heritage of innovation. Calspan’s corporate structure includes four operating units: flight research, transonic wind tunnel, transportation research, and systems integration and design.

The company’s main complex is located at 4455 Genesee St. in Cheektowaga, N.Y. In October 2005, the company completed a $13.3 million flight research center at the Niagara Falls Airport in Niagara Falls, N.Y. Calspan also maintains a flight research operation at Edwards Air Force Base in Calif., a flight training facility in Roswell, N.M. and a research laboratory in Ashford, N.Y. It also performs on-site accident investigations throughout the eastern half of the U.S. Calspan has 245 employees.

For more information about Calspan Corporation, please visit www.calspan.com.

Calspan Wins Big Contract
$43.4 million pact extends crash study
By DAVID ROBINSON
News Business Reporter
9/7/2006

Calspan Corp. has won a $43.4 million contract extension from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to keep studying for the next five years how cars and trucks fare in crashes and what causes injuries in those accidents.

Calspan executives said Wednesday that the extension is the biggest independent contract in the Cheektowaga-based company's history and will continue a program it has worked on since 1979.

The extension also extends for another five years an important part of  the company's operations, accountingfor about 25 percent of Calspan's business and providing jobs for 30 of its 250 local employees, said Thomas Pleban, the firm's executive vice president.

"It was an important part of Calspan's business that needed to continue," Pleban said.

In all, about 130 Calspan employees work on the National Automotive Samplings System program, with mostworking out of 14 field research centers that are located throughout the eastern U.S. Calspan has been the eastern U.S. coordinator for the program since it began 27 years ago.

"It really is a continuation of the work," said Robert A. Woodill, the director of Calspan's Crash Data Research Center, who indicated that the contract could lead to the creation of additional jobs during the length of the agreement.

Under the program, Calspan collects information on tens of thousands of traffic accidents each year that government scientists, engineers and other researchers analyze to help improve vehicle design, safety standards and medical care.

The research includes on-site and follow-up investigations that also involve a review of police accident reports.