Yingling Aviation has begun converting one of two former Great Lakes Beech 1900Ds into cargo aircraft for Provo, Utah-based Alpine Air Express, an on-demand Part 135 cargo operator. Based at Wichita Eisenhower National Airport, Yingling is reconfiguring the twin-turboprop in its 10,000-sq-ft hangar—one of three hangars it acquired from the former LeaseCorp earlier this year.
In all, Alpine Air has 32 Beech 1900Ds and a total of 72 aircraft in its fleet. Yingling officials said it’s not clear how many of those 32 1900Ds the FBO and MRO operator will convert with an STC acquired by Alpine Air. However, the expectation is it will be more than the two airplanes currently in its modification hangar.
“We are able to accommodate this exceptional opportunity because we have spent the past 18 months expanding facilities and upgrading our capabilities to handle this type of comprehensive program,” said Yingling president Andrew Nichols. “We will start by working on two aircraft at a time and have the capacity to add more as we gain expertise.”
Alpine Air president and CEO Michael Dancy said the 1900D passenger-to-cargo conversion will allow his company to “ship more with less. With our strategic new fleet that incorporates these re-configured Beech 1900Ds, we can now provide more efficiency for individual shipments and at more affordable costs for us and our clients.”