Pemco World Air Services is planning to develop the first passenger to combi and passenger to quick change (QC) conversions for the Boeing 757 in addition to offering its new 757SF product.
The Alabama-based maintenance company last year acquired the 757 passenger to freighter conversion supplemental type certificate of Alcoa-SIE Conversions. Pemco president Kevin Casey says Pemco plans to use the Alcoa-SIE STC, which provides a freighter with 14.5 pallets, to develop new STCs for a 15-pallet freighter as well as a combi and QC.
He expects the 757 combi will be developed first and "will take about a year" to complete. But he adds the exact timing on when either the combi or QC conversion will be completed is subject to demand.
Casey says for now only the 14.5-pallet full freighter conversion is available and Pemco is ready to begin this conversion as soon as it secures an initial customer.
In the seven years since it was established, the Alcoa-SIE joint venture only completed one conversion, which SIE put down to the fact that most potential customers preferred the 15-pallet solution offered by Precision Conversions.
SIE, which unsuccessfully tried to convince Alcoa to invest in developing a 15-pallet STC, says it is now talking to Pemco about providing the engineering services required to upgrade the existing product to 15 pallets. Casey confirms these talks are taking place and says "we can do it ourselves but I would love to work with SIE".
Casey is confident Pemco will be able sell the existing 14.5-pallet product to some cargo carriers, pointing out the Singapore Technologies Aerospace STC being used by FedEx Express to convert 87 757s provides only 14 pallets.
ST Aero in 2008 also completed two 757 passenger to combi/QC conversions for the Royal New Zealand Air Force. But this conversion was never certificated, and Casey says Pemco plans to be the first provider of 757 combi and QC products in the commercial market.
Source: Flight International
