Sabreliner Begins Inspecting Navy Fleet of T-44 Aircraft

November 25, 2008

Sabreliner Corporation has begun performing Aircraft Condition Inspections in support of the U.S. Navy fleet of T-44 Pegasus aircraft under a contract with Sikorsky Support Services, Inc. (SSSI), which is part of the Sikorsky Aerospace Services aftermarket business for Sikorsky Aircraft Corp.  The work is an expansion of an existing contract under which Sabreliner conducts similar inspections of the Navy's fleet of T-34 aircraft.  Sikorsky Aircraft is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX).

The T-44 inspections, which are taking place at Sabreliner's Perryville, Mo. operation, involve the partial disassembly, inspection, reassembly and painting of the aircraft, plus complete refurbishment of the interiors. 

The primary mission of the T-44 is to provide multi-engine pilot training for the Chief of Naval Air Training in Corpus Christi, Texas.  The T-44 is a twin-engine, pressurized, fixed-wing monoplane manufactured by Hawker Beechcraft (formerly Beech Aircraft).  It is the military version of the commercial King Air B90.

Sabreliner's contract with SSSI began in 2007 and covers similar inspections of the Navy fleet of single-engine T-34 primary trainer aircraft.  That aircraft is a single-engine, two-seat trainer based on the Beechcraft Bonanza. 

SSSI supports military and civilian aircraft operators with aviation maintenance, logistics and technical services.  It is part of Sikorsky Aerospace Services, which designs and applies advanced logistics and supply chain solutions for commercial rotary, military rotary and fixed wing customers.  Along with SSSI, Sikorsky Aerospace Services comprises Derco Aerospace Inc., Helicopter Support Inc., Composite Technology Inc., and Sikorsky Aircraft Australia - Helitech, and offers complete aftermarket support solutions globally.

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., based in Stratford, Conn., is a world leader in helicopter design, manufacture and service.  Sikorsky Aircraft's mission statement reflects the company's long commitment to safety and innovation:  "We pioneer flight solutions that bring people home everywhere... every timeTM."  More information is available at the interactive www.sikorsky.com Web site.

United Technologies Corp., based in Hartford, Conn., provides a broad range of high technology products and support services to the aerospace and building systems industries.

Sabreliner Corp. is a proven provider of a wide variety of civilian and government aviation services, as well as an acknowledged leader in aviation production support.  The company has more than 375 employees and 400,000 square feet of aviation maintenance, manufacturing, processing and repair facilities at three service locations in Missouri and one in Kansas.  Its headquarters are in St. Louis.