The National Civil Aviation Administration (ANAC) of Argentina, the body in charge of regulating the activity in the country, granted the supplemental type certificate (STC) for the Boeing 737-800SF converted by Aeronautical Engineers (AEI).
This type of approval authorises the operations of aircraft that have undergone a major modification to the version that originally obtained its type certificate, but not significant enough to require a new one. It is granted by the competent authority after verifying that the changes comply with the regulations in force.
In the region, the conversion had already been certified by Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC). In addition, it was also approved by the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the United Kindom Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and its counterparts in China (CAAC), Canada (TCCA), Guernsey (DCA) and Cayman Islands (CAACI).
See also: B737-800SF continues to earn certifications around the world
The Boeing 737-800SF converted by Aeronautical Engineers
Aeronautical Engineers’s conversion programme for the type consists primarily of installing an 86 inches by 137 inches cargo door in the left side of the fuselage and modifying the main deck to convert it into a Class E cargo compartment. The door can be operated from inside the aircraft by an independent hydraulic system or manually.
Once the conversion is complete, the aircraft has eleven positions for containers with maximum dimensions of 88 inches by 125 inches and another position for AEP/AEH with a capacity of up to nine thousand pounds.
The Boeing 737-800SF main deck has a total payload capacity of up to 52.700 pounds (23.900 kilograms). It also includes an Ancra cargo loading system, a 9G rigid barrier, five crew seats, a galley and a full lavatory.
Moreover, it is the only conversion of the Boeing 737 family of aircraft currently approved for ETOPS 180 operations, giving customers greater flexibility for extended over-water flights or remote regions with few alternative airports.
Aeronautical Engineers is a major player in the market for aircraft freighter conversions from the original passenger-carrying versions. In addition to modifications to the Boeing 737-800, it also developed such programmes for the 737-400 and 737-300, as well as for the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 and the Bombardier CRJ200.
