Sabreliner Delivers 100th C-21A Learjet Major Phase Inspection

January 26, 2009

Sabreliner Corporation has successfully delivered the 100th C-21A Learjet aircraft for use by the U.S. Air Force following a thorough periodic inspection. And for the 100th time in more than seven years, the aircraft was delivered on time and on budget.

All of the inspections have been conducted by technicians at Sabreliner's Perryville, Mo. facilities.

The first C-21A, a military version of the Learjet Model 35A, was inducted in June of 2001 for Phase 16 work, the equivalent of 12,000-hour inspections on commercial Learjets.  Phase 16 work involves removal and reinstallation of the wings, and the X-ray and careful inspection of the aircraft's flight control system, often resulting in the replacement of flight control cables.  Sabreliner performed that work as a subcontractor to L-3 Vertex, and over time performed 61 Phase 16 inspections for the company. 

When the contract came up for re-competition in 2004, Sabreliner teamed with a division of Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC), and together the two companies won the contract.  CSC eventually spun off the division performing the C-21 work, and it became part of today's DynCorp International.

Sabreliner completed the first wave of Phase 16 inspections with DynCorp in 2005 and began performing Phase 14 inspections in 2006.  The Phase 14 inspection is the equivalent of the 12-year inspection performed on commercial Learjets and involves the X-ray and thorough inspection of the aircraft's fuselage and wings.  The company has now completed 39 of the Phase 16 and Phase 14 inspections with DynCorp, bringing the total number of C-21A major inspections to 100. 

All of the aircraft inspections have been completed on time and on budget.

The C-21A has room for eight passengers and 42 square feet of cargo. In addition to its normal role of passenger and cargo transport, the aircraft is capable of carrying medical litters during evacuations.

In addition to the major inspections, Sabreliner also provides depot-level maintenance for the 38 Air Force and 18 Air National Guard aircraft in the C-21A fleet.

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 400 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.