Midcoast Now Performing TFE731 Inspections

Midcoast Aviation's St. Louis Downtown Parks Airport facility is now performing manufacturer-authorized TFE731 engine maintenance, including major periodic inspections. The addition of MPI capability makes Midcoast one of only three companies in the U.S. where airframe and engine services on TFE731-powered aircraft are performed under one roof. More than 7,000 of the AlliedSignal turbofans are currently in service.

Gary Driggers, executive vice president and COO of Midcoast, said the company has the capacity to provide the TFE731 engine service through its connection with Premier Turbines. "Now, operators of most Falcons, Hawkers, Citations, Astras, JetStar 731s and Sabre 65s have the added benefit of having all their service needs handled in a single location," he said.

Premier Turbines and Midcoast are sister companies, both owned by Sabreliner. The engine shop became fully operational in August and has already completed numerous TFE731 MPIs.

Elsewhere Midcoast has finalized an agreement to lease two additional hangers at the Little Rock National Airport, increasing its aircraft maintenance and modification capabilities. The additional 68,728 square feet of hangar space will be fully operational in January, increasing capacity by 34 percent.

"We will dedicate one hangar to interior refurbishment and aircraft painting," Driggers said. "Paint is a service we could not offer at the Little Rock facility until now. This capability, coupled with the new cabinetry shop we opened in May 1997, solidifies Midcoast-Little Rock as a complete major modification center," he said. The second hangar will be used for medium- and light-jet maintenance, backshops and aircraft storage.

Midcoast provides support for corporate, private and government aircraft through its operations at Parks Airport, Little Rock and Lambert-St. Louis International. Sabreliner is a diversified aerospace service, maintenance and modification firm serving a wide variety of commercial, airline, cargo, government and military aircraft, engines, systems and components.

Midcoast has received recent awards from the FAA, NBAA and the National Air Transportation Association (NATA). Gary Schandl, manager of quality assurance, was named the National Aviation Maintenance Technician of the Year, an award that will be presented during the NBAA convention. In addition, 17 Midcoast technicians have received NBAA Maintenance/Avionics Technician Safety Awards. Jim Carr, Midcoast's Falcon program manager, won the General Aviation Service Technician Award from NATA at its national convention.