Originally Posted by
Slippery_Pete
SAAB weren’t offering a new aircraft, it was a zero time program.
What SAAB proposed was you take your B model back to Sweden. They take the whole airframe apart, and then they completely rebuild that same airframe with two updated FADEC engines and new avionics. Then they give it back to you as a zero hour airframe.
PAG are in a real spot of bother here. I give it a week before John not-so Sharp wheels out his little victim act again.
Originally Posted by
KRUSTY 34
You may be talking about the Stillborn SAAB 340C. This was a project from the nineties where the 34 seat airframe was upgraded to all the nice engines/avionics of the SAAB 2000. This would have resulted in a common endorsement and similar performance and operating efficiencies. Operators could trade in their old A and B models for the flexibility of a mixed fleet of 34/50 seaters that all crew could then operate. Think Dash 8 200/300 but with better gear and performance. Great stuff! Unfortunately, the SAAB 2000 was a commercial failure for a whole other reason, and SAAB decided not to go ahead with the 340C.
I had a conversation with a senior REX manager about this some 15 or so years ago. He told me that they (REX) had actually approached SAAB with a view to producing the 340C and recommencing the production of the 2000, for the vey reasons I have stated above. According to this senior manager, SAAB comprehensively ruled out that ever happening?
So if SAAB had indeed reconsidered, I'm a little perplexed as to why REX didn't at least entertain the idea?
The rumour I had heard was at the time Rex had turned 10 and Saab staff were at the celebrations. 2012? The argument then was they could easily pick up airframes from the US for $1-1.5m at the time, so why plan for the future? A very different story now.