Certification for cargo modification awarded after delays
Icelandic freight carrier BlueBird Cargo is to take delivery of the first Precision Conversions-developed Boeing 757-200PCF freighter modification on 1 July after formal US Federal Aviation Administration approval of the conversion.
BlueBird Cargo is also taking a second 757PCF, which like the first is also owned by Ansett Worldwide (AWAS). This delivery is expected within months, and the modification is “around 60% done” says marketing and sales vice-president Brian McCarthy.
The following pair of conversions are International Lease Finance (ILFC)-owned aircraft scheduled for delivery to Shanghai Airlines, he adds. The modifications are being performed at Goodrich’s Aviation Technical Services site in Everett, Washington and took longer to complete and certificate than expected due to exhaustive certification checks and some supplier hold-ups, says Precision.
“We had some difficulty with suppliers, as well as some challenges with flight tests,” says McCarthy, who highlights smoke penetration and “smoke drift” certification tests in particular.
“There were issues with the environmental control system, and keeping smoke out of the cockpit. It meant a lot of adjustments, and playing with valves and ducting to get the right amount of air. But we solved all that.” The prototype aircraft, which Precision purchased from Bouillion Aviation, will be remarketed, says McCarthy, who adds that obtaining the complex FAA supplemental type certificate (STC) was “a very difficult undertaking, particularly if you are really dedicated and doing it properly”.
He adds that “the FAA held us to the letter of the law, and we were really guinea pigs. We removed the old lavatory and all the plumbing and vaccum waste system in the aft, so we made room for a 15th pallet and we’re chasing weight and volume. We also take 465 wire bundles out of the aircraft,” says McCarthy, who adds the basic operating weight was confirmed in the STC at 52,540kg (115,820lb). The maximum structural payload varies from 30,400kg to 32,200kg depending on the build standard and vintage of the aircraft.
GUY NORRIS/LOS ANGELES
Source: Flight International
