Steinbach & Associates, developer of STCs for R-134a conversions, is at Booth No. N713 showing how its R134a air-conditioning system compressor can replace old R12 Freon coolant compressors. Scott Steinbach, president of the Waco, Texas company, told AIN that since the R12 was phased out of production, a new compressor and accessory components are necessary to use R134a to full advantage.

The new ConversionAir S6 compressor kit offers greater performance in a package 54 percent lighter than the 36-pound A6 compressor it replaces, and the S6 requires less horsepower to move the same volume of air. Prices for the new S6 compressor kit, including hoses, expansion valves and receiver-dryer, range from about $4,000 for piston singles up to $8,000 for cabin-class turboprop twins and business jets. Steinbach & Associates–doing business as ConversionAir–has delivered more than 400 R134a kits in the 15 years since R12 coolant was ordered to be phased out.

The compressor conversion kits engineered and supplied by ConversionAir include new Stratoflex hoses to contain the smaller molecules of the R134a coolant, new expansion valves and receiver-dryer along with installation instructions and documentation. Aircraft modified with the compressor kit can be returned to service using on an FAA Form 337. Steinbach said installation times average 40 man-hours, “obviously different for a Piper Cherokee than for a King Air or Lear 60.”

Steinbach & Associates is an active member of the Waco Aviation Alliance, which promotes Greater Waco as a center of aviation excellence. The alliance is touting the area, with three airports, three colleges and more than 30 aviation companies, as ideal for aviation businesses needing facilities and a highly skilled workforce.