Aerospace & Defense Manufacturers Benefit from Turnkey A.T.E Collaboration

October 5, 2011- Grand Forks, North Dakota - Ideal Aerosmith, Inc. is joining forces with Esterline Control Systems – AVISTA to deliver out-of-the-box, complete automatic test equipment (ATE) for aerospace and defense manufacturers. This collaboration allows manufacturers to speed development and certification for their complex components and focus on the development of the end product.

“As aerospace and defense systems become more complex, software is playing a more critical role in driving product functionality,” notes Tom Bragg, vice president of operations for Esterline Control Systems – AVISTA. “Quality product is always imperative, and test equipment helps ensure safety and reliability. Our combined approach offers the industry world-class software, hardware and process innovation to meet the most complex testing needs with greater ease.”

Ideal offers extensive capabilities in hardware systems, including custom test stand development. The AVISTA services team brings broad experience in software development and process improvement. The combination means manufacturers have the best of both worlds for their next-generation avionics and defense ATE.

“Customers face tight development and certification timelines, and are always looking for ways to improve efficiencies,” adds Darren Stinson, senior vice president of test services for Ideal Aerosmith, Inc. “We’ve always prided ourselves on listening to our customers’ and understanding the complexity of their test needs. By joining forces with AVISTA services, we can help customers deliver on time, as well as with greater quality, precision and completeness.”

About Ideal Aerosmith, Inc.

Ideal Aerosmith engineers world-class motion and electronic test solutions. The company has been providing innovative test solutions since its founding in 1938 by a group of former airline maintenance personnel. In addition to a full line of motion systems, Ideal Aerosmith’s capabilities include full turnkey services in the design, manufacture, and field support of aerospace Automatic Test Equipment (ATE). Ideal Aerosmith is an ISO 9001:2008 certified company. www.ideal-aerosmith.com

About Esterline Control Systems – AVISTA

For almost 25 years, AVISTA services have been trusted by leading companies in aerospace, defense and medical electronics needing safety-critical software and systems engineering support. The organization is rated CMMI Level 5, the industry benchmark for software quality, as well as ISO 9001:2008. AVISTA Incorporated is part of the Esterline Control Systems group and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Esterline Corporation (NYSE:ESL, www.esterline.com), a specialized aerospace and defense company headquartered in Bellevue, Washington.

Senator Franken Tours Ideal Aerosmith

United States Senator Al Franken, D-Minn., visited Ideal Aerosmith’s facility in East Grand Forks, MN, on January 10, 2011. After meeting many of the employees, Senator Franken was interested in discussing with Management the kind of opportunities and challenges high-tech companies face as they compete in a world-wide marketplace.

When asked about Ideal Aerosmith, he stated, “This kind of high-tech manufacturers are really, to me, the future for Minnesota and for North Dakota.” Senator Franken also stated that more jobs, like Ideal Aerosmith provides, are needed in Minnesota and throughout the region and the country.