| Issue #32, November 3, 2006 |
There Were Two Pilots, Now No Pilots
Military Contractor Will Build Drone Aircraft Where F-14s Were Once Made
By TJ Clemente
Years ago, the thunderous sounds of F-14 Tomcats could be heard all over the skies of the North Fork. The famous Long Island-built fighter plane was tested and perfected and then modified to perfection. All of this too place out here on the North Fork. Many would look and watch these planes fly through the clouds practicing tricky maneuvers over the skies of Calverton.
In what is now called the Calverton Enterprise Park (EPCAL), Grumman Corporation was one of Long Island’s largest employers, having, at its height, 3,000 workers just at the Calverton site alone. The Grumman Corporation was responsible for the F-14 Tomcat and the lunar module. It was a sad day, back in 1995 when Grumman, due to loss of military contracts, was forced to shut the doors of its Calverton site. After Grumman left the North Fork, the U.S. Defense Department, which owned the Calverton site, turned the site over to the town of Riverhead for a dollar. The town of Riverhead then sold major sections of the site to developer Jan Burman where it has been under close observation as to what exactly should be done with it.
Well it looks now that the military is going to be back on Long Island. American Dynamics Corporation, a New Jersey corporation headed by Stephan Amraly is now leasing property at the site in order to work on its unmanned weapons.
American Dynamics Corporation builds unmanned planes (drones) and is hoping to land large military contracts from the Department of Defense. The success of unmanned aircraft in war, both in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the rest of the world has been significant. Therefore, American Dynamics Corporation is very hopeful that the 30 jobs that they have listed for the site now may very well increase.
Since the drones use a great deal of top-secret technology, the company has requested early take-off and landing permission from the town. Testifying at a town meeting, Mr. Amraly reportedly said, “We’re a defense contractor and we have plans to expand.” If the facility’s physical structures are to be improved or expanded, town approval will be needed. The excitement of the project brings back memories of the F-14 Tomcats and their sweeping wings which were used as the fighter planes Tom Cruise flew in the movie Top Gun.
With its sweep wings, the F-14 was the first fighter designed to accommodate all of the military’s armed branches, the Air Force, Army, Marines, and Navy. It went into operation in 1972 and revolutionized fighter jets using onboard computers for navigation and weapons. It was such a complicated for its time that it took two pilots in order for it to fly. Many of the Grumman fighters were made in the Calverton facility by its 3,000 workers.
Riverhead Community Developer Andrea Lohneiss was told by Mr. Amraly the 30 present jobs at the site could and should grow if larger contracts are awarded. The present jobs range from bookkeepers to aeronautical engineers. In the near future, one may look up into the skies of the North Fork and once again see North Fork built planes. This time however, these planes will be unmanned drones using the latest technology, buzzing with quiet engines.
The return of a new, vibrant defense contractor, such as Mr. Stephan Amraly’s American Dynamics Corporation is a welcome addition for employment growth in the area.
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