Taken up in March 1955 by the USAF as standard C-131B 53-7793, this Convair was later used at Griffiss AFB, NY as a radar test-bed and after being contracted out to Calspan of Buffalo, NY in Dec 1966, was redesignated as an NC-131B. It was re-engined with Allison turboprops at Burbank and made its first flight as NC-131H Total In-Flight Simulator in July 1970. During a long career, the unique TIFS simulated the flight characteristics of many aircraft in development, including the X-40, Tacit Blue, Space Shuttle, B-2, YF-23, C-17, SST, MD-12X and Indonesia's N-250. Ferried to NMUSAF in Nov 2008

Constructed as a C-131B and taken on strength with the US Air Force with serial 53-7793 in 1955 it was used as a radar testbed. In 1966, the aircraft was transferred to Calspan, Buffalo (NY) and redesignated NC-131B. From December 1968 to 1970 it was converted to an NC-131H, its engines changed from piston radials to Allison 501-D-13 turbo-props, made its first flight as a Total Flight-In Simulator (TIFS) in 1970. After various projects it was handed over to Calspan as N793VS on 23 December 2003. To the USAF Museum in Wright-Patterson on 7 November 2008.

Photo by Tom Hildreth.

K25 slide scan. Delivered 1954 as C-131B, fitted out as a testbed. Upgraded 1969 to CV-580 standard and 1970 to TIFS simulator. Based Wright Patterson with Flight Dynamics Laboratory, later Buffalo assigned to Calspan. Reregistered N793VS in 2000, retired 2008 to USAF Museuem. The longest serving US military Convair was used in a variety of research programmes, namely B-1, Concorde, Space Shuttle, 757, X-29, YF-23, B-2, 747, C-5 and 787 amongst others.