AAI Albatross to be upgraded in NSW
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AAI Albatross to be upgraded in NSW
From ABC
Amphibian aircraft factory to give NSW Central Coast multi-million-dollar boost - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
A $100 million aircraft manufacturing facility that specialises in building amphibious airplanes will bring hundreds of new jobs to the Central Coast, the NSW Premier has announced.
Premier Mike Baird said the company, Amphibian Aerospace Industries (AAI), would relocate its operations from the United States to the Central Coast Airport at Warnervale, where it plans to upgrade its amphibious Albatross aircraft for customers across the world.
Amphibian aircraft factory to give NSW Central Coast multi-million-dollar boost - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
A $100 million aircraft manufacturing facility that specialises in building amphibious airplanes will bring hundreds of new jobs to the Central Coast, the NSW Premier has announced.
Premier Mike Baird said the company, Amphibian Aerospace Industries (AAI), would relocate its operations from the United States to the Central Coast Airport at Warnervale, where it plans to upgrade its amphibious Albatross aircraft for customers across the world.
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Announcing the airport coup at Warnervale today, Premier Mike Baird said Amphibian Aerospace Industries (AAI) would relocate its offshore manufacturing to the Central Coast and become the first transport category aircraft manufacturer to set up in Australia since the 1940s.
"Amphibian Aerospace Industries at work on building amphibious aircraft."
A touch of journalistic license I guess............
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From the picture it appears they intend to put floats on a metro.
I don't expect things to happen any time soon.
Take at least ten years for "Consultations" with "Stakeholders" CAsA and the maritime services board to decide if its a boat or an aircraft.
Someone should enlighten them that aviation is not welcome in Australia, New Zealand would be a much better place to start their venture, only property developers are welcome in Australia.
I don't expect things to happen any time soon.
Take at least ten years for "Consultations" with "Stakeholders" CAsA and the maritime services board to decide if its a boat or an aircraft.
Someone should enlighten them that aviation is not welcome in Australia, New Zealand would be a much better place to start their venture, only property developers are welcome in Australia.
Sounds like one council is prepared to take the risk....
CASA will no doubt place every possible regulatory obstacle to success in their path, starting with stratospheric fees for approvals. I'm told that this is what they did to Gippsland aeronautics.
however should the project succeed, maybe other councils and state governments might think there is a better future for regional airports than mere property development scams - assuming that the albatross project is genuine and not a property scam itself.
CASA will no doubt place every possible regulatory obstacle to success in their path, starting with stratospheric fees for approvals. I'm told that this is what they did to Gippsland aeronautics.
however should the project succeed, maybe other councils and state governments might think there is a better future for regional airports than mere property development scams - assuming that the albatross project is genuine and not a property scam itself.
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Sunny,
The last phrase of your above post parallels my cynical thinking on this one.
I smell a rat - a large one .. and it has very little to do with any aviation industry.
Let's see, shall we?
The last phrase of your above post parallels my cynical thinking on this one.
I smell a rat - a large one .. and it has very little to do with any aviation industry.
Let's see, shall we?
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Nothing associated with this "trumpeted" deal makes any sense. America is the home of aviation manufacturing, the home of aviation component and accessory suppliers and the home of substantial numbers of educated people with aviation construction skills. In addition, the total population market between Canada and South America is more than 500M people.
If you manufacture Down Under, the vital aviation components and accessories all have to be imported, adding cost in delays, in freight and in adverse exchange rates.
Then the labour market doesn't have the aviation skills and would have to be trained up, at more cost.
Finally, the market for their amphibians in the Pacific region is down to maybe 50M people, not 500M.
And if they think they're going to crack into the Chinese aviation market, well, they just might get a little shock when the Chinese suddenly produce their own, home-grown competent, and competing model of amphibian.
After all, it's not like AAI have a new and radical design of aircraft with simpler and cheaper construction, low cost inputs, low fuel-burn engines, or low purchase price.
Funnily enough, I commented along these line in the DT article yesterday - and today all ability to comment, and all of yesterdays comments, have been completely removed by the DT. Media manipulation?? Never!!
If you manufacture Down Under, the vital aviation components and accessories all have to be imported, adding cost in delays, in freight and in adverse exchange rates.
Then the labour market doesn't have the aviation skills and would have to be trained up, at more cost.
Finally, the market for their amphibians in the Pacific region is down to maybe 50M people, not 500M.
And if they think they're going to crack into the Chinese aviation market, well, they just might get a little shock when the Chinese suddenly produce their own, home-grown competent, and competing model of amphibian.
After all, it's not like AAI have a new and radical design of aircraft with simpler and cheaper construction, low cost inputs, low fuel-burn engines, or low purchase price.
Funnily enough, I commented along these line in the DT article yesterday - and today all ability to comment, and all of yesterdays comments, have been completely removed by the DT. Media manipulation?? Never!!
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no one - They have a website, but not an especially enlightening one. They have the rights to build the old Grumman amphibian.
Amphibaircraft.com
Amphibaircraft.com
AAI
The company was registered in Australia 4 months ago:
https://www.australiacheck.com/busin...stries-pty-ltd
And the company president lives in Sydney....
I don't see them moving the whole operation to Aus (for all the reasons discussed above), however setting up a FAA approved center here to provide upgrade services for the south east Asia market is more plausible. With the increasing security concerns in the south china sea and the increased emphasis on border security they may see a market for the patrol versions
https://www.australiacheck.com/busin...stries-pty-ltd
And the company president lives in Sydney....
I don't see them moving the whole operation to Aus (for all the reasons discussed above), however setting up a FAA approved center here to provide upgrade services for the south east Asia market is more plausible. With the increasing security concerns in the south china sea and the increased emphasis on border security they may see a market for the patrol versions
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Onetrack.
I basically agree with you but not about suitable tradesmen. Having recently been involved in very detailed rebuilds of WW2 aircraft, there seems to be a ready pool of ex airline trades, especially fitters, sheet metal workers and avionics and all are capable of a very high standard of work.
I do wonder at the standard of their website.There a lot of re-engined aircraft around to let them get a photo or graphic of a turbo version. I cant imagine that they'd want to stick with the radials on any rebuild or new build?
Wunwing
I basically agree with you but not about suitable tradesmen. Having recently been involved in very detailed rebuilds of WW2 aircraft, there seems to be a ready pool of ex airline trades, especially fitters, sheet metal workers and avionics and all are capable of a very high standard of work.
I do wonder at the standard of their website.There a lot of re-engined aircraft around to let them get a photo or graphic of a turbo version. I cant imagine that they'd want to stick with the radials on any rebuild or new build?
Wunwing
I shouldn't be cynical but……..
There is a type of 'entrepreneur" called a "main chancer". Basically the guy talks a great story and gets a letter of intent agreeing to the sale of of something to himself. He then uses that "ownership" as part of a good story to leverage other promises of asset sales to himself. He has no, or very little money of his own involved and he then takes the "package" of promises to sell to another group of people who have money and spruikes the "opportunity" to them. His idea is that they get 80% and he keeps 20% of the new venture.
To put it another way, the venture is constructed out of thin air, promises and imagination with other peoples money.
I once worked for a software company who spent $2.00 million on a response to tender for a project that didn't exist. The spriuker represented himself as a relative of a minister in the Indonesian Government. We were to build a new car registration system for Indonesia in return for a commission of $1.00 per car registration. The Directors fell for it. The bloke then tried to sell the system to Indonesia as his own. Needless to say he was not related to the Minister.
In another life Austrade organised for me to meet a guy in Los Angeles who wanted HdeH to build weapons systems for him. When we cut through the BS, what he was asking us to do was evade U.S. export controls - and Austrade had fallen for it!
Victoria established an FMEG (financial and management evaluation group) to look at just such proposals before signing anything in the wake of scandals Thirty years ago.
I hope a similar team will look into the bona fides of this mob before any letters , let alone agreements, are signed. The first thing to check is if they actually own what they say they own.
Central Coast Council's administrator Ian Reynolds said the facility would be part of a 40-year lease agreement with AAI, which was the first step in making the airport a hub for light to medium commercial general aviation.
To put it another way, the venture is constructed out of thin air, promises and imagination with other peoples money.
I once worked for a software company who spent $2.00 million on a response to tender for a project that didn't exist. The spriuker represented himself as a relative of a minister in the Indonesian Government. We were to build a new car registration system for Indonesia in return for a commission of $1.00 per car registration. The Directors fell for it. The bloke then tried to sell the system to Indonesia as his own. Needless to say he was not related to the Minister.
In another life Austrade organised for me to meet a guy in Los Angeles who wanted HdeH to build weapons systems for him. When we cut through the BS, what he was asking us to do was evade U.S. export controls - and Austrade had fallen for it!
Victoria established an FMEG (financial and management evaluation group) to look at just such proposals before signing anything in the wake of scandals Thirty years ago.
I hope a similar team will look into the bona fides of this mob before any letters , let alone agreements, are signed. The first thing to check is if they actually own what they say they own.
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Perhaps this idea would work given that the following four momentous events have occurred in the same time frame.
1 New 300HP aircraft engines now cost $62,500 AUD or more
2 There is a useless non binding, result-already-known plebiscite about to waste $175,000,000
3 Two days ago the Ford engine factory at Geelong built its last engine.
4 Australia is losing its manufacturing skills
Why can't the government, just this once, do something sensible and brave? Set up an aircraft engine manufacturing facility in the now disused Ford factory using the skills that turned out 4.5 million car engines. Forget the plebiscite and use the money as seed capital to kick start the new industry. If Ford could sell luxury cars for $60,000 including the engine, surely an aircraft engine could be built to sell for somewhat less than that. At first they could simply copy the latest Lycoming or Continental engine down to its last nut and bolt, since the patents probably ran out 40 years ago. Then they can throw in some of Malcolm's Innovation and come up with a clean sheet design. Today: engines for Australia. Tomorrow: the WORLD.
There's never been a more exiting time for building aircraft engines.
1 New 300HP aircraft engines now cost $62,500 AUD or more
2 There is a useless non binding, result-already-known plebiscite about to waste $175,000,000
3 Two days ago the Ford engine factory at Geelong built its last engine.
4 Australia is losing its manufacturing skills
Why can't the government, just this once, do something sensible and brave? Set up an aircraft engine manufacturing facility in the now disused Ford factory using the skills that turned out 4.5 million car engines. Forget the plebiscite and use the money as seed capital to kick start the new industry. If Ford could sell luxury cars for $60,000 including the engine, surely an aircraft engine could be built to sell for somewhat less than that. At first they could simply copy the latest Lycoming or Continental engine down to its last nut and bolt, since the patents probably ran out 40 years ago. Then they can throw in some of Malcolm's Innovation and come up with a clean sheet design. Today: engines for Australia. Tomorrow: the WORLD.
There's never been a more exiting time for building aircraft engines.
Rutan, it's not a property development project so it won't get up. Generations of ANU trained economists in Treasury have built their careers on the wisdom that Australia cannot economically manufacture anything, and if someone seems to be succeeding, there must be a hidden subsidy somewhere which must be offset by extra taxation on the enterprise. Nothing manufacturing is allowed to succeed, it is not permitted.
If the Albatross even looks like a going concern, watch Canberra do everything in its power to sabotage it. Then it joins the bones of Victa, Nomad, Wamira, Airvan and goodness knows what else.
If the Albatross even looks like a going concern, watch Canberra do everything in its power to sabotage it. Then it joins the bones of Victa, Nomad, Wamira, Airvan and goodness knows what else.
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Sunfish,
I know you are correct so now is the time to think outside the box. Declare a war on unemployment. Once war is declared sack every 'can't do ' handbrake in the system like they did in Britain during the war and let the 'can do' people get on with the job that needs doing.
I know you are correct so now is the time to think outside the box. Declare a war on unemployment. Once war is declared sack every 'can't do ' handbrake in the system like they did in Britain during the war and let the 'can do' people get on with the job that needs doing.
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If you manufacture Down Under, the vital aviation components and accessories all have to be imported, adding cost in delays, in freight and in adverse exchange rates.
Then the labour market doesn't have the aviation skills and would have to be trained up, at more cost.
Then the labour market doesn't have the aviation skills and would have to be trained up, at more cost.
Then it joins the bones of Victa, Nomad, Wamira, Airvan
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Khoa Huang (AAI Group President).
Let's have a look at his qualifications and 'fields of expertise'.. as he's laid them out on LinkedIn.
Qualifications:
Graduated from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in 2000 with a Bachelor of Applied Science (B.A.Sc.) in Construction Management.
Fields of Expertise:
Among these, he claims .. Project Management, Debt Restructuring and, interestingly, Private Sector Development.
He also claims to have expertise in both military and general aviation. Details of both those are strangely elusive.
Make of that what you will.
Let's have a look at his qualifications and 'fields of expertise'.. as he's laid them out on LinkedIn.
Qualifications:
Graduated from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in 2000 with a Bachelor of Applied Science (B.A.Sc.) in Construction Management.
Fields of Expertise:
Among these, he claims .. Project Management, Debt Restructuring and, interestingly, Private Sector Development.
He also claims to have expertise in both military and general aviation. Details of both those are strangely elusive.
Make of that what you will.
