L1011 spares...

[Kitsune]

Post on Freight Dogs mentions that the RAF are looking around for a new TriStar nose landing gear...:ooh:

[Pontius Navigator]

I thought you were going to say breaking for spares :)

I wonder if they would pay a facilitators or finders fee?

AIRCRAFT PARTS - STEWART INDUSTRIES (http://www.siiair.com/LOCHEED.htm)

:)

[Dengue_Dude]

L1011 spares...

Wozzat then?

[AGS Man]

They're breaking 4 Tristars up here in Taif as I speak. Maybe a swop for some Typhoon parts!

[Redcarpet]

Isn't there one at an airfield near Cambridge? I'm sure it was perfectly serviceable when it was delivered there, I imagine it'll still be in good working order. :ugh:

[Kitsune]

... unless you're talking about the NAV fit...:eek:

[BEagle]

Just how much did the ZD949 fiasco cost the tax payer? Both directly (in terms of the money paid to Marshall Aerospace) and indirectly in terms of the charter flights needed as a result of its non-availability since the time it was due to be handed back to the RAF in 2008?

I'm surprised that this scandal hasn't been exposed more fully.

[Kitsune]

That would suggest a modicum of responsibilty for someone... not something those in procurement are likely to accept.
To paraphrase: Defence Procurement is like a giant vampire squid sucking the face off the services..
Of course it's worth remembering that the RAF had to buy the L1011 to make up the 60million shortfall in Thatcher's privatization of B A....:cool:

[Courtney Mil]

Silly me, BEags. I must have missed that one. The 'the ZD949 fiasco'? Do tell.

[airborne_artist]

In the words of Private Eye - I think we should be told ;)

[matkat]

I could supply a set in serviceable condition right now.

[BEagle]

October 2006 - Marshall Aerospace is awarded a £22M contract to upgrade the RAF TriStars' avionics and FMS including a 'glass cockpit' as the 'MMR upgrade'. This should have been a relatively low-risk programme as it used elements of the C-130 cockpit upgrade already underway for the RNAF.

November 2007 - ZD949 arrives at Cambridge for the trial installation with a planned completion date of Q3 2008 at which time the second TriStar would begin conversion.

2008 came and went.

2009 came and went.

January 2010 - ZD949 finally makes its first flight with the MMR upgrade.

October 2010 - SDSR indicates that the TriStar will start to leave RAF service in 2013; TriStar MMR programme is to be discontinued.

December 2010 - After 100 hours of flight test, ZD949 finally passes MoD review and is due to be back in service in Spring 2011.

2011 - Due to the change in out-of-service date now planned for the TriStar and with the A330MRTT due in service by the end of the year, ZD949 remains at Cambridge in a pristine state under 'storage' and is to be 'reduced to spares' - a euphemism for being scrapped - as it would be too expensive to convert it back to its original state.

October 2011 - A330MRTT now 'Voyager' fails to meet release to service date; now expected to be 'sometime in January 2012'.

January 2012 - Voyager still not in service.

February 2012 - Voyager still not in service.

So, after already being 2½ years late, an expensive MMR update for the TriStar was cancelled due to SDSR and Voyager timetables. Nearly 18 months later and pressure on the TriStar fleet remains intense as Voyager is still not flying with the RAF; the VC10, despite once carrying royalty, is no longer deemed acceptable to carry passengers due to the decision of the MAA.




Please correct this post if I've included anything incorrect.

[1.3VStall]

Beags,

And you can add to that:

March 2012 - Voyager still not in service

(Although there is one parked in the AirTanker hangar at Brize Norton):ugh:

[Blue Bottle]

As A330 is contracted, there should be a pentalty clause for non-delivery of said product and the customer should now be getting money back..will be RAF be in credit soon ?

[Moi/]

I think the only thing that turns up on time in/for the RAF, is the AFPRB.

[StopStart]

I believe I'm right in suggesting that the current A330 delays have nothing to do with Air Tanker.....?

[BEagle]

I believe you are correct, Stoppers..... The delays are emphatically through no fault of ATrS.

Enjoying yourself on the 737?

[Blue Bottle]

Dare we ask what the delay is then ?

[StopStart]

We dare not......

Yes thanks BEags - not as much fun as the fun days of the RAF but those days are long gone now! :ok:

[Kitsune]

But about this landing gear...:E

[Courtney Mil]

BEags,

Thanks for recounting the ridiculous story. But, I'm sorry it can't possibly be true. It sounds like a complete disaster and I simply can't believe THAT could happen.

[Blue Bottle]

If that was the case it could fly AT routes with Pax then ?

[Blue Bottle]

I wonder why they put all those seats inside then and converted the hold to take Militay Cargo pallets ?

Anyway back on target any news on the nose landing gear issue that started this thread.........:O

[Fedaykin]

There is one major supplier of L1011 spares in the US, they have pretty much all the new parts and those taken off retiring Tristar. In other words the RAF has to deal with a monopoly who can charge pretty much what they want for certificated parts. They know that the L1011 is stuck in service for a few more years and the RAF can't shop around for spares too much.

Sounds to me the RAF didn't like the sound of the price for a replacement landing gear is casting around in a desperate attempt to find an alternative.

[WE992]

Blue Bottle. Holds converted to take military cargo pallets for when the aircraft is used for the strategic part of the hub and spoke system the pallet can be transferred straight to the other types of aircraft in the RAF AT fleet without the labour intensive need to strip pallets and then rebuild them on another type thus speeding up the process of delivering equipment to its final destination.

[Blue Bottle]

So it can't tank yet but was contracted to fly passengers as a further role, why is it not taking said passengers on normal AT routes yet if it's sitting in a hanger on base and was due to be in service in Oct last year. Must be some bigger issues than just refuelling.

[Kitsune]

If it's anything like any other 'airline' introduction to flying Airbus, there's normally quite some delay due to the old farts with their 'but on the Vickers Vimy/Sunderland/Vulcan/VC10/TriStar we always did it THIS way' being told to f* off in fine pitch by Airbus, who actually know how the aircraft works...:ugh:

[matkat]

Fedaykin simply not true, I have three engines and reversers available, I even have a whole aircraft available and I am based in Scotland and not the states, the A/C is not in the states either.:ok:

[Kitsune]

Well that'll certainly help with the NLG problem then..:rolleyes:

[matkat]

Have a whole shipset available, just waiting for the call:ok:

[foxvc10]

The Cambridge mob have the contract, and they wanted a single source. Mr T sold himself very well and then died. All neatly sown up so the MoD get well stitched.