Cargo Aircraft STC

Maybe a dumb question, but....

Theoretically, can any aircraft be converted from passenger to freighter (or combination) aircraft as long as someone is willing to do the work and you can get a STC?

Obviously a TP would be a more economical choice, but I ask because I was trying to think what a good replacement aircraft for a Falcon 20 Freighter would be... This college project I'm doing is kicking my butt and I'm trying to find a medium private jet that could perform the same mission as the 20... capable of flying heavier cargo medium-long routes quickly

You could look at CRJ Freighters.

You could always look into a Q400 freighter. The speed and fuel savings would be nice. Not sure if the conversion exists yet.

And yes. If you have the time and money, you can get a cargo STC for any aircraft.

Q400 would be totally cost prohibitive. Anything that's still in demand by pax carriers will be unlikely to be filled with boxes. CRJ might be affordable, but it's a much larger aircraft than the Falcon, and it burns a LOT more gas and almost certainly costs a lot more to maintain, too. Small jet cargo is going the way of the dodo anyway with gas prices as they are an are likely to remain. I can easily, however, see some old Dashes wearing some bad paint and flying through a few level 5s in the not-too-distant future.

Very good, thank you... I didn't know that CRJ freighters existed. Am I correct with the mission of the small jet freighter? Capable of flying heavier cargo medium-long routes quickly

ERJ135/145? Might be a little better on fuel than a CRJ? But smaller fuselage, so might not be able to stuff much in there.

How about a Hawker 800?

Q-400 Freighters do exist....The same company that did the RJ's also converted a Q400.......

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/canada-approves-q400-freighter-conversion-320752/

If I want to transition to the Corporate world again I see my way.

It just takes time and a lot of money to get and STC to turn an aircraft into a freighter. Did they cut cargo doors into the CRJ's? Seem that if they didn't the loads would be prett limited.

Hope this helps some:

http://www.cascadeaerospace.com/aircraft-products/modification-kits

I hope it works based on what I see, I don't see a big market. It hauls a bit more than the Falcon 20's and less than a DC-9, also the cargo doors aren't that big. Botht he Falcon and DC9 have large cargo doors for the easy loading of palletized or large bulky items. Time will tell. The Saab 340 didn't work out too well

I would think the Falcon 20 freighter market is probably dwindling. Most overnight stuff is going digital. If Fedex/UPS can't do it like car parts or something, maybe but there can't be much left.

That would be the case for all small jet cargo then too, right? It makes sense especially now with so many turboprop options that would certainly seem more cost effective. I just like the thought of flying a jet for such an operation

A few of the ATRs fedex bought from American when they were first replacing the Fokker were such maintenance hogs that they cost almost twice what a new ATR would cost. Not all of them of course, but a couple.

But yeah, you could get some Dash-100, 200 or 300s real cheap.

If they are out of cycles.

Unfortunately for us there are none that are not sky high in price for being timed out. I guess I get to be a French pilot now with the ATRs coming.

I don't know nuthin-bout-nuthin bout no CRJ, but I can say that the falcon (CF700) burns about as much gas as the ERJ. As far as cost of maintaining the falcon, I'd bet it's not cheap. However most companies Falcons are paid for, they own the engines, they own and maintain their avionics, and some even hold STC's for their aircaft's unique features. The other thing about the Falcon is that it's a tank. It has no wing-spar life limits. None. So it'll be around for awhile.

2Beer. From what I have seen on the freight ramps. There is no shortage of freight for the Falcon 20 and I have also seen a few Fa20 corporate birds still running around. I think what makes the Falcon still a good bird is the large cargo door and easy freight loading. You are also right that the majority out there are paid off and some companies do all mx in house on them making them cheaper to maintain.

Things are indeed pretty busy right now for the falcons. There is definitely a niche for turboprops in the on-demand market, but I don't think they'll ever fully replace jets. They do cover a lot of the shorter trips, but the central/southern Mexico to Canada legs would be pretty hard to do consistently, not to mention the typical 4-6 hr freight or customs delay.

The company's has done the adhoc deal from Mexico to Canada and anything between in the Brasilia and metro. The Brasilia can carry a lot more than the falcon and metro has the endurance to get to do the flight non stop while being very economical. The company was very successful in the adhoc game until they decided to focus more on more stable flying.

I

I hear that we're parking the Bro's and getting Saab 340 and 1900 D's in a new FedEx contract