Aerodyne Controls, Inc. Celebrates 50 Years in New York

RONKONKOMA, NY (September 17, 2008) -- This year marks the 50th year that Aerodyne Controls, a CIRCOR Aerospace business (NYSE: CIR), has been providing the aerospace, defense, medical, and alternative fuels markets with precision pneumatic components and systems and state of the art mercury-free motion switches. The business plans a day of recognition in December with employees and families. The Ronkonkoma operations employ over 65 dedicated professionals, delivering critical fluid flow control devices for defense and commercial aircraft, US Navy ships, the Space Shuttle and other rocket and missile applications. Aerodyne has been a fixture in Long Island, New York since 1958. One of the former Aerodyne principals, Bob Tripodi, is still hard at work. Tripodi started as a Quality Control Manager 46 years ago, when Aerodyne efforts were primarily involved with the space program. Aerodyne has had flight-critical hardware on every manned mission in the space program. Manufacture of pneumatic and cryogenic valves for defense and space programs started in the early 1970s, along with a line of accelerator switches. Diversified businesses came along with the end of the Cold War and have evolved into Aerodyne Controls today. Aerodyne supplies critical components such as pressure regulators on cold gas thruster systems, valve manifolds for pneumatic weapons ejection and flotation-recovery systems, and 10,000 PSI regulators for the next generation of automotive hydrogen fuel cells. Aerodyne designs and manufactures mercury-free motion switches. In the aerospace market, cockpit voice recorders and emergency lighting systems use Aerodyne impact switches. Defense manufacturers use Aerodyne switches to count the number of times a missile is fired and detects impact and/or acceleration. Medical instrument manufacturers also include impact switches in their devices to detect mishandling of sensitive equipment. With the acquisition of Survival Engineering in July 2007, Aerodyne is now a major supplier of inflation products for defense and commercial life rafts and marine evacuation systems. These products include lanyard and DC operated inflation valves, check and relief valves, and various hose assemblies. Aerodyne Controls has the engineering capability to design, manufacture and qualify fluid control products, motion switches and inflation system components to meet unique customer requirements, often using a proven Aerodyne product as the basis for the new design. Aerodyne manages all aspects of the program from product design, development, and qualification through production in a lean, efficient manufacturing facility. Aerodyne Controls products can be found on applications including the Joint Strike Fighter, MQ-9 Reaper, Global Observer HALE UAV, Standard Missile-3, Stardust Comet Mission, F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, Space Shuttle and various FAA Safety Systems. CIRCOR Aerospace, Inc. is a CIRCOR Aerospace Products Group company focused on the design, development, and manufacture of specialty fluidic control systems and aircraft landing gear systems for demanding aerospace and defense applications. CAI provides a full range of check, relief and electro-mechanically actuated valves, actuation systems, manifold assemblies, and complete landing gear systems.