Daveroo
June 20th, 2015, 07:09
<header class="entry-header" style="color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.375px;">CWN contracts awarded for 22 next-gen air tankers (http://fireaviation.com/2015/06/19/cwn-contracts-awarded-for-22-next-gen-air-tankers/)Posted on June 19, 2015 (http://fireaviation.com/2015/06/19/cwn-contracts-awarded-for-22-next-gen-air-tankers/) by Bill Gabbert (http://fireaviation.com/author/jackson8862/)
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</header>http://fireaviation.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/DSC_1980sm.jpg (http://fireaviation.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/DSC_1980sm.jpg)Coulson Aviation’s L-382G during the grid test in early May, 2015.
The U.S. Forest Service announced yesterday that they awarded Call When Needed (CWN) contracts to five companies for a total of 22 next-generation air tankers. Not all of the aircraft exist yet in flyable, modified, inspected, and carded form. In fact, we estimate only about half of them are ready to go now if the phone rang.The companies receiving the six-year CWN contracts include:
Neptune Aviation, 6 BAe-146s
Coulson Aviation, 1 Lockheed L-382G
Air Spray USA, 4 BAe-146s
10 Tanker Air Carrier, 5 DC-10s
Aero Flite, 6 BAe Avro 146 RJ85s
An Exclusive Use contract commits an aircraft to working non-stop, except for days off, for an extended period of days, 160, for example. However on a CWN contract the aircraft may never be used by the USFS. It could sit for years without being activated by the agency. That was one reason the 747 “Supertanker” ceased to exist. It was parked for years on a CWN contract and was not used.
This, of course, can be a very expensive and risky proposition for a private company. They have to decide if they are going to maintain the aircraft in a continuous airworthy condition and hire flight crews and maintenance personnel. The USFS thinks it’s a great deal since they spend nothing if an air tanker is not used. But even if a CWN aircraft had been at one time fully certified, by the time the USFS decides to activate it, the aircraft and the staff to operate it may or may not be ready to fight fire. And the CWN rates are usually much higher than a multi-year exclusive use contract.
Walt Darren, a legendary air tanker pilot who passed away a couple of years ago, suggested that CWN aircraft could be paid a stipend during the fire season even when they are not being used. This would make it a little more palatable for a company to keep an air tanker ready to go.
Ravi Saip, the General Manager and Director of Maintenance for Air Spray at Chico, California, said none of their BAe-146s are ready to go today. They are working on two of them, and hope to have one finished by the end of this fire season. He said most of the work is done on that aircraft, and they are working closely with British Aerospace on the cutouts in the belly through which the retardant will flow. In about two months they hope to begin flight tests, and they still need to get the FAA’s Supplemental Type Certificate and the Interagency AirTanker Board certifications.
Rick Hatton of 10 Tanker told us they have three completed DC-10s. Two are carded and are being used today on fires in California, T-911 and T-912. The third, which replaced and upgraded the older T-910, will retain that tanker number and is waiting for the USFS to issue their certification.
Britt Coulson of Coulson Aviation said they hope their recently converted Lockheed L-382G will be carded by the USFS next week. A civilian version of the C-130, it completed the grid test in early May (http://fireaviation.com/2015/05/12/coulsons-l-382g-at-the-grid-test/).
The full list of air tankers receiving CWN contracts is below. Click on the image to see a larger version.
Continue reading → (http://fireaviation.com/2015/06/19/cwn-contracts-awarded-for-22-next-gen-air-tankers/#more-5170)
2 (http://fireaviation.com/2015/06/19/cwn-contracts-awarded-for-22-next-gen-air-tankers/#comments)
</header>http://fireaviation.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/DSC_1980sm.jpg (http://fireaviation.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/DSC_1980sm.jpg)Coulson Aviation’s L-382G during the grid test in early May, 2015.
The U.S. Forest Service announced yesterday that they awarded Call When Needed (CWN) contracts to five companies for a total of 22 next-generation air tankers. Not all of the aircraft exist yet in flyable, modified, inspected, and carded form. In fact, we estimate only about half of them are ready to go now if the phone rang.The companies receiving the six-year CWN contracts include:
Neptune Aviation, 6 BAe-146s
Coulson Aviation, 1 Lockheed L-382G
Air Spray USA, 4 BAe-146s
10 Tanker Air Carrier, 5 DC-10s
Aero Flite, 6 BAe Avro 146 RJ85s
An Exclusive Use contract commits an aircraft to working non-stop, except for days off, for an extended period of days, 160, for example. However on a CWN contract the aircraft may never be used by the USFS. It could sit for years without being activated by the agency. That was one reason the 747 “Supertanker” ceased to exist. It was parked for years on a CWN contract and was not used.
This, of course, can be a very expensive and risky proposition for a private company. They have to decide if they are going to maintain the aircraft in a continuous airworthy condition and hire flight crews and maintenance personnel. The USFS thinks it’s a great deal since they spend nothing if an air tanker is not used. But even if a CWN aircraft had been at one time fully certified, by the time the USFS decides to activate it, the aircraft and the staff to operate it may or may not be ready to fight fire. And the CWN rates are usually much higher than a multi-year exclusive use contract.
Walt Darren, a legendary air tanker pilot who passed away a couple of years ago, suggested that CWN aircraft could be paid a stipend during the fire season even when they are not being used. This would make it a little more palatable for a company to keep an air tanker ready to go.
Ravi Saip, the General Manager and Director of Maintenance for Air Spray at Chico, California, said none of their BAe-146s are ready to go today. They are working on two of them, and hope to have one finished by the end of this fire season. He said most of the work is done on that aircraft, and they are working closely with British Aerospace on the cutouts in the belly through which the retardant will flow. In about two months they hope to begin flight tests, and they still need to get the FAA’s Supplemental Type Certificate and the Interagency AirTanker Board certifications.
Rick Hatton of 10 Tanker told us they have three completed DC-10s. Two are carded and are being used today on fires in California, T-911 and T-912. The third, which replaced and upgraded the older T-910, will retain that tanker number and is waiting for the USFS to issue their certification.
Britt Coulson of Coulson Aviation said they hope their recently converted Lockheed L-382G will be carded by the USFS next week. A civilian version of the C-130, it completed the grid test in early May (http://fireaviation.com/2015/05/12/coulsons-l-382g-at-the-grid-test/).
The full list of air tankers receiving CWN contracts is below. Click on the image to see a larger version.
Continue reading → (http://fireaviation.com/2015/06/19/cwn-contracts-awarded-for-22-next-gen-air-tankers/#more-5170)