Question
Maybe the Chinese bird makes sense? Since it will have no "N" reg number, The chances of getting shut down for paperwork problems like numerous US airlines have suffered lately is greatly reduced. The FAA is on a which hunt to restore it's credibility since it was revealed by the USair exec that FAA had a deal going to not enforce inspections at big airlines. This lead to groundings of the American MD-80's, United 777's and others earlier this year.
Is that Russian turboprop machine still flying between Indonesia and General Santos?
The Russians used to make pretty good copies of Western aircraft. Since the price of Jet fuel is killing everybody, maybe it's a good idea to kill off the lease costs. (Beats killing off pilot salaries.) And wasn't the Japanese YS-11 really an copy of the Lockheed Electra? I know it used to catch fire a lot with electrical problems, but it was still safer than road or ferry transport.
Is that Pacific Pearl B732 still flying? United says they are going to get rid of another thirty 737's. Thirsty machines indeed! (down low.) But the airframe can be had for a couple of million as opposed to making monthly lease payment on an airbus. But an aging classic like that has got to have lots of costly AD's right? How about the fuselage insulation AD's? What about cold-lapp metal bonding (rivet corrosion) issues? If it's high cycle, you might wind up spending the purchase price of the airplane every couple of months. FAA certification and N-numbers are not necessarily a good thing imho.
Does having some jet-lagged paper-pusher with no real world experience shutting you down all the time improve air safety? Better to lease Chinese birds with experienced Chinese mechanics for a while and offer high pilot salaries if you ask me.
And time to drill more in the Sprattlys! The only way to bring down the cost of Aviation fuel is to drill it domestically without the big hand of the Big Transnational Oil companies in the pinoy cookie jar. (Of course to do more of that means protection from the US Navy offshore, so may have to reopen the bases. Not sure that's going to work.)
What do ya think?
pac