Revival and Growth

Since opening the doors to its first hangar in 1991, STA Mobile has experienced tremendous growth, expanding beyond the original footprint of the Brookley Air Force Base that it took over.

From our facilities, which include nine large hangars, an engineering and training building, offices, a warehouse and an engine storage building, now totaling nearly 900,000 square feet of space, we have direct access to a 9,600-foot runway and more than 50 acres of ramp and aircraft parking space.

• STA Mobile’s expansion investment since its 1991 opening totals more than $30 million.
• With 1,500 people coming to work every day, STA Mobile is one of the largest employers in the Mobile region.

Timeline of Events

1969 Brookley Air Force Base in Mobile, Alabama closes, leaving 10 percent of the local workforce without jobs and the Base vacant. 1989 Mobile Airport Authority’s campaign to recruit aviation and aerospace companies to Brookley bears fruit when STA Mobile chooses to set up operations in Brookley. 1991 After extensive renovations to our first hangar (Hangar 1), STA Mobile opens for operations with 50 employees. It adds a second hanger (Hangar 2) by the end of the same year. 1992 First Boeing 727 passenger-to-freighter (PTF) conversion program begins, with 23 aircraft converted. 1992-94 STA Mobile expands its operations to completely encompass the original footprint of Brookley Air Force Base's aircraft hangers (Hangars 3, 4, 5 and 6). 1992-94 STA Mobile converts a DC10 donated by FedEx to Orbis into a flying hospital configuration. 1995-96 STA Mobile converts two Boeing 747 combi aircraft from passengers and cargo configuration to freighter. 1996 STA Mobile redelivers its 1,000th aircraft. 1998 FedEx selects STA Mobile as "Airframe Supplier of the Year". 1998 STA Mobile completes its first PTF conversion for MD10. 2000 STA Mobile constructs a new engineering & training building and a nose dock structure that is capable of enclosing the nose sections of two Boeing 747s simultaneously. 2001 Construction of Hangar 8 completes, with two bays capable of housing aircraft up to the size of Boeing 757s. 2001 STA Mobile redelivers 2,000th aircraft. 1999 - 2003 Boeing selects STA Mobile as partner for the PTF conversions of 17 Boeing 757 aircraft. 2004 Nose dock structure in Hangars 7-1 and 7-2 are upgraded to accommodate aircraft as big as the Boeing 777. 2005 STA Mobile redelivers its 3,000th aircraft. 2006 STA Mobile is awarded a contract by a leading airforce to develop, convert and upgrade two Boeing 757 aircraft. The upgraded aircraft are fitted with cargo doors and cargo handling systems, state-of-the-art avionics and other specialized systems. The aircraft are designed to be readily changed into a freighter, passenger or VIP configuration, or a combination of these, depending on its daily operational needs. 2007 STA Mobile is contracted to develop a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for the conversion of Boeing 757 passenger aircraft to freighter configuration. The contract includes the conversion of 87 aircraft and makes this the largest single PTF conversion program. 2007 Airbus/Skybus sign on STA Mobile to provide Total Support for their A320 Family of aircraft. The contract includes line and heavy maintenance. 2008 STA Mobile adds a material warehouse and engine storage buildings to its facilities. 2011 STA Mobile redelivers its 4,000th aircraft. 2011 STA Mobile completes its first block of 34 PTF conversions for a contract involving 87 Boeing 757 aircraft.