SABRELINER WILL EXPAND PERRYVILLE FACILITY

PERRYVILLE -- A pilots' lounge, employees' lounge, executive offices and electronics and avionic shops will be included in two, two-story buildings to be constructed by Sabreliner Corp. at Perryville Municipal Airport.

"The new structures will enhance customer service and employee areas at our maintenance and modification center at the airport," said F. Holmes Lamoreaux, chairman and chief executive of Sabreliner Corp., headquartered in St. Louis.

"Our expanding commercial and government aviation business has required this facility expansion," said Lamoreaux.

The new buildings will total 15,000 square feet, and will adjoin the commercial aviation hangar that was built in summer 1990.

Construction is expected to start soon, with completion targeted for June.

During the spring and summer of 1990, Sabreliner completed construction of an off-aircraft engine test facility and a 30,000-square-foot hangar, which represented a $2.5 million investment by the firm.

The engine test cell at the Perryville facility is the first non-military engine testing facility equipped with Howell Instrument Co.'s Automated Engine Data Acquisition Testing System. It can test engine performance on a wide variety of turboshaft, turboprop and turbojet engines.

Sabreliner is a diversified service, modification and manufacturing company. It supports a variety of commercial, government and military aircraft, engines, systems and components.

During the past two years Sabreliner has won eight competitive government contracts totaling $400 million, including options. That includes major contracts with the Army, Navy and Air Force.

The Army and Navy contracts were obtained in 1991.

The firm was selected for the $242 million Undergraduate Naval Flight Officer training contract in March 1990. Sabreliner is providing initial training and modifications for 17 T-39 aircraft. Sabreliner will provide UNFO services through 1998

The Army contracts call for Sabreliner to rebuild and test up to 400 UH-1 Huey helicopter engines. T-53 contract deliveries started in May 1991 at the Perryville facility. Sabreliner will tear down, repair, rebuild, test and deliver 100 T-53 engines through April. The contract has second- and third-year options, which can result in a total of 400 engines.

The firm also has modifications and refurbishment contracts with U.S. companies and foreign governments, including Argentina, Ecuador, Mexico and Sweden.

Sabreliner employs almost 700 people, with more than 65 percent about 500 of the employees at the Perryville facility. About 200 employees work at the company's fixed base operations facility at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.