F-16s land [for business] at Mojave Air, Space Port

Valley Press on ^ | Tuesday, May 19, 2009. | ALLISON GATLIN

[BenLurkin]

MOJAVE - The newest denizens of the Mojave Air and Space Port are an impressive sight, even for an airport accustomed to a variety of flying machines. A quartet of F-16 fighter jets - soon to be joined by a fifth - have taken up residence in a hangar located at the center of the flightline, a stone's throw from the popular Voyager restaurant.

The jets form the test fleet of a new enterprise at the airport, Calspan BicycleWorks , a firm specializing in flight test and rapid prototyping.

The company was founded about a year ago by Paul Nafziger, former vice president and general manager of flight systems for BAE Systems Flight Systems at Mojave.

"This has been a dream for a long time," he said. "We finally made it happen."

The company, a group of New York-based technology company Calspan, is named after the bicycle workshops of Calspan forefathers Glenn Curtis and the Wright brothers. Calspan was originally the research laboratory of the Curtiss-Wright Airplane Division.

So far, the company has only five employees, although that number is expected to grow as the anticipated work is finalized.

"It's a small group. They're all hand-picked," Nafziger said. "We really don't have any trouble finding people who want to work on (the F-16s) or fly them."

Danny Gast, aircraft maintenance manager, is one of those hand-picked to join BicycleWorks. A retired military aircraft mechanic and Lockheed Martin flight test engineer, he has experience in aircraft ranging from the C-5 to F-22.

"It was quite an honor," he said of his new job.

The team includes one full-time test pilot, Terry Tomeny, and will utilize pilots from Edwards Air Force Base and a couple from the National Guard on an as-needed basis, Nafziger said.

[Tennessee_Bob]

Wonder if they need any old F-16 jet engine mechanics?