Created for the U.S. Air Force in the late 1960s by the Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory of Buffalo, New York, later the Calspan Corporation, this one-of-a-kind aircraft was developed as an in-flight simulator for studying how an aircraft would fly before an expensive full-scale prototype was built. Originally a USAF C-131B transport aircraft, it was extensively modified with turboprop engines replacing its original piston engines, a second cockpit added on the nose, and vertical fins added on the wings, and it was redesignated the NC-131H, with the N indicating a permanent modification. The TIFS could use two different noses: a two-place cockpit in which onboard computers simulated the handling characteristics of various aircraft with a large field of view, reconfigurable controls, and instrument displays, while the original cockpit held two safety pilots who monitored the simulations and could take control if needed; or the Avionics Systems Test and Training Aircraft configuration, in which an avionics nose carried large prototype radars, infrared cameras, and other sensors, with a crew station in the main cabin for system operators. Engineers found it especially useful for studying how large aircraft handled during takeoff and landing, and vertical fins on the wings generated side forces to simulate crosswinds and provide test data. It first flew in 1970, and its first research project simulated the B-1 bomber in 1971. Over a long career, it simulated many military and NASA aircraft, including the B-1, X-40, Tacit Blue, Space Shuttle, B-2, YF-23, and C-17, supported civilian development projects including the Boeing Supersonic Transport, 7J7, MD-12X, and Indonesian N-250, and also trained test pilots before coming to the museum in 2008.