Major Vincent Raska, TIFS project manager, summarizes the resource: “It’s not as expensive as flying a jet airplane, and its availability for testing is often better than [that of] other aircraft such as the C-17, C-5, or KC-135. Competing for a test range can be a costly and timeconsuming ordeal, but Calspan is already approved by the Federal Aviation Administration to fly in many test areas.” Maj Raska hopes TIFS will be around for many years to come. “I am all about recycling and reusing,” he states. “Despite being older, [TIFS] has a lot of capability. It is very versatile and flexible. It is one of a kind.” Based in Niagara Falls, New York, TIFS frequently makes trips to different test locations and is available to anyone in government or industry requiring specialized in-flight test capabilities.

Ms. Melissa Withrow (CACI), of the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Air Vehicles Directorate, wrote this article. For more information, contact TECH CONNECT at (800) 203-6451 or place a request at http://www.afrl.af.mil/techconn/index.htm. Reference document VA-H-05-04.

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