Dimension Aviation, the new modification centre set up recently by Sabreliner, has taken over all McDonnell Douglas (MDC) US widebody cargo-conversion work from sister company SabreTech, and could eventually have the capability to convert up to 12 aircraft simultaneously.
Sabreliner established Dimension in February as part of a re-organisation of its commercial- aircraft maintenance and modification business, using vacant hangar space at Goodyear municipal airport, near Phoenix, Arizona. The St Louis, Missouri-based company has been contracted by MDC for DC-10 and MD-11 cargo conversions for FedEx (Flight International, 12-18 March, P4).
While Sabreliner's Phoenix-based division, SabreTech, had established itself as a specialist for the modification and maintenance of the MDC DC-10/MD-11 at the city's Sky Harbour International Airport, Sabreliner says that it had been looking for potential sites which would provide scope "-to boost conversion rates to match FedEx's future requirements".
Dimension's hangars have an initial capacity to handle up to four DC-10/MD-11s simultaneously, twice the number that SabreTech can manage. Sabreliner says that the Dimension site has room for expansion to triple this capacity. It has been contracted for at least 12 DC-10-10 conversions for FedEx via an MDCcontract.
SabreTech, which has converted MD-11s to freighters for FedEx and Korean Air, will cease all MDC conversion work from May. Its four outstanding firm orders for MD-11 conversions (three for FedEx and one for Korean Air) will be transferred to Dimension, along with the 11 conversion options (three for EVA Airways, six for FedEx and two for Korean Air).
SabreTech, which has a Miami maintenance offshoot which was implicated in the ValuJet DC-9 crash in the Florida Everglades in May 1996, now intends to pursue other work.
Source: Flight International
