Aeronautical Engineers, Inc. (AEI) has been selected by USA Jet of Belleville Michigan to provide one MD83SF 12 Pallet Passenger to Freighter Conversion. The aircraft, an MD83, MSN 49791 was built in 1989 and is currently undergoing freighter modification at AEI's Authorized Conversion Center, Commercial Jet, Inc. which is located in Miami, Florida. This is the first production MD80SF to be inducted for conversion, currently AEI has orders for 20 units.
Mike Garvin, Chief Operating Officer for USA Jet Airlines stated: "All of us at USA Jet Airlines are excited to add the first converted MD83SF to our expanding fleet of freighter aircraft."
Robert T. Convey, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, stated: "USA Jet was one of the first operators to see the commercial advantages of the MD80SF and one of the first to secure a conversion slot." He goes on to say that, "AEI’s MD80SF 12 Pallet Configuration backlog continues to grow as lessors and operators alike discover the advantages of this great freighter. The MD80SF is capable of hauling 4,400 cubic feet and 46,000 lbs of payload which is identical to the capacity of the 737-400SF. The difference is that the AEI MD80SF on ramp price is half that of the 737-400SF. That equates to a $4,000,000 savings per freighter!"