SAX Q400s after SAS incidents?
 

Just read that SAS had another incident involving their Q400s giving landing gear problems, and Bombardier has ordered all Q400s with a certain amount of cycles to be grounded and inspected. Now I'm not sure if SAX's 2 Q400s fall under this, have they been checked or anything?
Did note on the SAA booking engines that F-28s are scheduled to be doing JNB-GRJ now and then over the next few weeks? And can't find that Q400s are filling somewhere else.

only 10 000 cycle aircraft. so cant see SAX being involved

Q's doing FBM and VFA. F28 will leave when last CRJ arrives in few weeks time.

SAX Q400 only +/- 2000 cycles. 1st Q400 due for C-check so that's why its missing from the SAA schedule. SAX monitoring the whole undercarraige episode.

hasn't the whole fleet been grounded?

Several other Q400 operators also now grounding aircraft...QantasLink, Horizon Air (USA), ads to FlyBe, SAS, Wideroe, Austrian Arrows.
Lots of talk going on about the future of this aircraft...any comment about what this could mean for SAX to consider buying a couple more?

Yes, if production slots were available in the short term, SAX would probably get into the que yesterday. AFAIK they have been "searching" for additionals for a while now - Last feedback said Production was sold out to 2009.

First C-Check scheduled for end September. Apart from GRJ, FBM and VFA you will find them running back and forth between BFN...

:zzz:

Early flight JNB-GRJ has just arrived at GRJ more than 2hours late, on ACSA's live flight departures the flight is given to have departed only 11minutes after schedule...so it must have turned back or did an unscheduled stop somewhere else. Any info on this?

The George flight (EXY 1501) did indeed turn back and the Q400 rostered to do a double Bloem took off late as well.
As far as I know this was a request from the chief pilot for engineering to do some checks on the aircraft. Not compulsory but just wanting to err on the safe side.

I don't understand why is the aircraft then allowed to depart and then called back to be errr on the safe side? Why wasn't it kept on the ground for that reason, or was the one requesting this not in yet so early?
The second JNB-GRJ flight just arrived by F-28, not initially scheduled, but ofcourse the return leg of the earlier GRJ-JNB arrived 2hours late as well.

Transport Canada AD received after aircraft departed for George. Yes Chief Pilot decided to recall aircraft to have AD attended to. Unfortunately the schedule went for a ball of s for the rest of the day. Actuator coorosion identified by undercarraige manufacturer.

Was it a SAX Q400 that was popping tyres, and doing three sixties all over 21L yesterday.. I have an idea that it involved landing gear problems.. not confirmed though.