Sabreliner announced it has recently completed its first Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) on a Learjet 35 air ambulance. The OEM has teamed with L-3 Communications Flight International in Newport News, Va., to perform SLEP services and uses L-3’s FAA-approved STC. The aircraft is owned and operated by Aero Jet International, a Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based air ambulance company with more than 18 years experience in the industry. The SLEP supplemental type certificate allows operators of the Learjet 24, 25, 35 and 36 to extend the life of the aircraft’s flight controls by an additional 10,000 hours, enabling the operator to avoid mandatory replacement of the control surfaces at 20,000 hours. According to a spokesman for Sabreliner, the STC affords substantial cost savings when compared with complete replacement of the control surfaces. The Aero Jet International upgrade was performed in Sabreliner’s Perryville, Mo. facility and included an extensive inspection of the Learjet 35’s flight control system using nondestructive inspection techniques. The service also included replacement of the aircraft’s key components.