Environmental Tectonics Corporation Announces That Sir Richard Branson Trains for Virgin Galactic Spaceflight at the NASTAR(SM) Center

    SOUTHAMPTON, Pa., Dec. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Environmental
 Tectonics Corporation ( ETC) ("ETC" or the "Company") today announced
 that Sir Richard Branson, Founder of the Virgin Group, successfully
 completed a space flight training course today at the NASTAR(SM) Center,
 which is the National Aerospace Training and Research Center. He undertook
 this training in preparation for a flight aboard SpaceShipTwo, the
 suborbital vehicle his company Virgin Galactic is developing along with
 Burt Rutan of Scaled Composites.
 
     The test flying program for SpaceShipTwo and its launch aircraft
 WhiteKnightTwo is expected to begin in the summer of 2008, with
 SpaceShipTwo likely to make its first flight into space in the following
 year. Commercial operations are expected to begin from Spaceport America,
 in New Mexico, once all test flying is successfully completed and the FAA
 has issued a license to fly.
 
     Commenting on the NASTAR(SM) Center space flight training, Sir Richard
 said, "It was an amazing experience. Due to the flight simulation combined
 with the G forces created by the STS-400 centrifuge, I really felt like I
 was launching into space. I am glad many of the Founder astronauts got to
 do this, because it really does get us all prepared and excited about the
 real thing, and alleviates a lot of the apprehension people naturally have
 about whether they can handle a space launch or not. Now I know that I and
 the Founders can concentrate on the primary features of a Virgin Galactic
 space flight, which are the magnificent view of Earth and the weightless
 experience."
 
     Several other participants from Virgin Galactic trained along with
 Branson, including his son Sam; Will Whitehorn, Virgin Galactic President;
 Alan Watts, who earned a flight aboard SpaceShipTwo through cashing in his
 Virgin Atlantic frequent flyer "Flying Club" miles; and Professor James
 Lovelock, the scientist who created the concept of Gaia Theory, that the
 biosphere of Planet Earth constitutes one great living entity. His
 groundbreaking work has laid the foundations of much modern climate change
 theory. All of them successfully completed the training.
 
     Training at the NASTAR(SM) Center is an integral part of Virgin
 Galactic's spaceflight program, because during a flight, passengers will
 experience the same physiological stresses as professional astronauts,
 including elevated, sustained Gs. Gs are a multiple of the normal effect of
 gravity on the human body. For example, 3.5 Gs is 3 and a half times the
 normal weight a person feels while at rest on Earth, and is the force
 SpaceShipTwo passengers will feel on launch. They will experience 6 Gs on
 reentry.
 
     Through training at the NASTAR(SM) Center space flight participants
 become accustomed to these stresses and realize that for most people these
 effects, while intense, are survivable and even enjoyable. Dick Leland,
 President of the NASTAR(SM) Center, commented, "This training is as much
 about creating stored mental sets and about anxiety reduction as it is
 about physiological training. By coming to NASTAR(SM) Center, you can
 practice what you will feel on the actual launch, so when that day comes,
 you can say to yourself, 'Hey, I've experienced this before, and I did just
 fine. I think I'll look out the window and enjoy my ride.' "
 
     About 60 of the of the first 100 Virgin Galactic spaceflight customers,
 known as Founders, have gone through the 2-day NASTAR(SM) Center space
 flight training course. All of them found the experience worthwhile, and
 several laughed or whooped during their space launch simulation. The
 founders expressed many enthusiastic comments about their training, such as
 "Absolutely fantastic"; "Loved it. Loved it. Loved it." "Wow! I feel like
 one of the luckiest people in the world! Very Cool." "A wickedly realistic
 experience"; and, "NASTAR(SM) Center is the Best."
 
     William F. Mitchell, ETC's President and Chairman, commented, "We are
 proud to have the opportunity to train Sir Richard and the other Galactic
 personnel and customers for their space flights. This is the beginning of a
 new era in space activities. The NASTAR(SM) Center intends to be an
 important part of creating the private space industry in the coming years,
 a time in which personal spaceflight will play an increasing role and
 manned flight will continue to evolve."
 
     Virgin Galactic (www.virgingalactic.com) is a company owned and
 established by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group to undertake the
 challenge of making private space travel available to everyone by creating
 the world's first commercial spaceline. Virgin will own and operate
 privately built spaceships based on the history-making SpaceShipOne. These
 environmentally benign spaceships, which are currently under construction,
 will allow affordable private sub-orbital space travel for the first time
 in history and give customers the opportunity of being amongst the very
 first private astronauts. The company also has long-term ambitions to
 develop the WhiteKnightTwo and SpaceShipTwo systems for low Earth satellite
 deployment, payload and other scientific applications.
 
     NASTAR(SM) Center (www.nastarcenter.com), a wholly-owned subsidiary of
 Environmental Tectonics Corporation, houses state-of-the-art equipment and
 professional staff to support the training and research needs of the
 aerospace community, including military aviation (fixed and rotary wing),
 civil aviation (fixed and rotary wing), space travel (government and
 private) and research support and data collection. NASTAR(SM) Center's
 equipment and programs are highly modular and flexible and can accommodate
 a wide range of aerospace training and research requirements.
 
     ETC designs, develops, installs and maintains aircrew training systems
 (aeromedical, tactical combat and general), disaster management training
 systems and services, entertainment products, sterilizers (steam and gas),
 environmental testing products, hyperbaric chambers and related products
 for domestic and international customers.
 
     This press release may include forward-looking statements within the
 meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 as amended, and
 Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. We have based these
 forward-looking statements on our current expectations and projections
 about future events. These forward-looking statements are subject to known
 and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions about the Company that may
 cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements
 to be materially different from any other future results, levels of
 activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such
 forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include
 statements with respect to ETC's vision, mission, strategies, goals,
 beliefs, plans, objectives, expectations, anticipations, estimates,
 intentions, financial condition, results of operations, future performance
 and business of ETC, including but not limited to, (i) projections of
 revenue, costs of raw materials, income or loss, earnings or loss per
 share, capital expenditures, growth prospects, dividends, capital
 structure, other financial items and the effects of currency fluctuations,
 (ii) statements of plans and objectives of ETC or its management or Board
 of Directors, including the introduction of new products, or estimates or
 predictions of actions of customers, suppliers, competitors or regulatory
 authorities, (iii) statements of future economic performance, (iv)
 statements of assumptions and other statements about ETC or its business,
 (v) statements made about the possible outcomes of litigation involving
 ETC, and (vi) statements preceded by, followed by or that include the words
 "may", "could", "should", "looking forward", "would", "believe", "expect",
 "anticipate", "estimate", "intend", "plan", or the negative of such terms
 or similar expressions. These forward-looking statements involve risks and
 uncertainties which are subject to change based on various important
 factors. Some of these risks and uncertainties, in whole or in part, are
 beyond ETC's control. Factors that might cause or contribute to such a
 material difference include, but are not limited to, those discussed in our
 Securities and Exchange Commission filings and other public documents,
 including, without limitation, our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
 fiscal year ended February 23, 2007. Shareholders are urged to review these
 risks carefully prior to making an investment in the ETC's common stock.
 
     The Company cautions that the foregoing list of important factors is
 not exclusive. ETC does not undertake to update any forward-looking
 statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time by
 or on behalf of ETC.
 
     Contact: Duane D. Deaner, CFO Tel: 215-355-9100 (ext. 1203)
 
     Fax: 215-357-4000 ETC -- Internet Home Page: http://www.etcusa.com
 
 
 

SOURCE Environmental Tectonics Corporation