Navajo Spar Mod - Can we drop it yet?
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Navajo Spar Mod - Can we drop it yet?
Anyone know who to write to get this thing rescinded?
Looking at importing Navajo from the US or UK and there are plenty of good ones out there but many are around 10-12k hours.
Our Australian-only 13,000 hour $60k+ spar strap mod for the PA31 means it just doesn't make any sense to import one.
Seeing as no other country in the world imposed this directive, and wings have not been peeling off PA31s around the planet one could deduce that it was a pointless, costly directive that has dried up the supply of good PA31s in the country, was based on faulty stress analysis and cost operators of the type lots of money.
Not everyone can afford a Caravan, plus, they're boring
On the plus side I guess Mahindra made a bit of money out of it
Looking at importing Navajo from the US or UK and there are plenty of good ones out there but many are around 10-12k hours.
Our Australian-only 13,000 hour $60k+ spar strap mod for the PA31 means it just doesn't make any sense to import one.
Seeing as no other country in the world imposed this directive, and wings have not been peeling off PA31s around the planet one could deduce that it was a pointless, costly directive that has dried up the supply of good PA31s in the country, was based on faulty stress analysis and cost operators of the type lots of money.
Not everyone can afford a Caravan, plus, they're boring
On the plus side I guess Mahindra made a bit of money out of it
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I don't know that your concern is totally correct.
You might like to have a natter with Steve Swift and Martin Aubury. I don't have a current contact for Martin but Steve certainly will.
Both are technical experts in this stuff as well as being good lads ...
You might like to have a natter with Steve Swift and Martin Aubury. I don't have a current contact for Martin but Steve certainly will.
Both are technical experts in this stuff as well as being good lads ...
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Anyone know who to write to get this thing rescinded?
Looking at importing Navajo from the US or UK and there are plenty of good ones out there but many are around 10-12k hours.
Our Australian-only 13,000 hour $60k+ spar strap mod for the PA31 means it just doesn't make any sense to import one.
Seeing as no other country in the world imposed this directive, and wings have not been peeling off PA31s around the planet one could deduce that it was a pointless, costly directive that has dried up the supply of good PA31s in the country, was based on faulty stress analysis and cost operators of the type lots of money.
Not everyone can afford a Caravan, plus, they're boring
On the plus side I guess Mahindra made a bit of money out of it
Looking at importing Navajo from the US or UK and there are plenty of good ones out there but many are around 10-12k hours.
Our Australian-only 13,000 hour $60k+ spar strap mod for the PA31 means it just doesn't make any sense to import one.
Seeing as no other country in the world imposed this directive, and wings have not been peeling off PA31s around the planet one could deduce that it was a pointless, costly directive that has dried up the supply of good PA31s in the country, was based on faulty stress analysis and cost operators of the type lots of money.
Not everyone can afford a Caravan, plus, they're boring
On the plus side I guess Mahindra made a bit of money out of it
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CASA will never rescind it, that implies they were wrong.
The best bet would be to campaign for a review of the requirement times based on new and current data of hours of current PA31's with no straps but still have wings attached and still in service.
It seems strange to have a C208 compared to a PA31-350, what type of operation is it?
The best bet would be to campaign for a review of the requirement times based on new and current data of hours of current PA31's with no straps but still have wings attached and still in service.
It seems strange to have a C208 compared to a PA31-350, what type of operation is it?
Yes making a business decision based on what planes are boring is perfectly reasonable.
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There is not much point comparing a chieftain to a caravan anyway really, different leagues all together.
Navajos and 400 series sure, thats a different ball game.
Old piston twins are dead in the water these days. Only good piston twins are the new ones which are only useful as luxury items if you are lucky enough to afford one. Even then if I had the cash to splash a low time second hand turboprop would probably be cheaper than a new Baron, with a lot more bang for the buck per mile.
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Old piston twins are dead in the water these days. Only good piston twins are the new ones which are only useful as luxury items if you are lucky enough to afford one. Even then if I had the cash to splash a low time second hand turboprop would probably be cheaper than a new Baron, with a lot more bang for the buck per mile.
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Old piston twins are dead in the water these days.
And operating a 40 year old aircraft with paying pax on board is a great business decision
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They are not dead in the water for what they are per se. Seat for seat nothing can do ad-hoc charter as cost effectively as a PA31 can. They are perceived to be dead in the water because they were the backbone of the industry, an industry that is very well dying. The OP is merely highlighting another stab wound.
Let's be perfectly honest. That is spoken with the bias of a pilot. What is going to be a better business decision? You'll suggest something that involves tying up more capital, that costs more to operate resulting more in more expensive quotes which will turn more jobs away than it attracts.
Let's be perfectly honest. That is spoken with the bias of a pilot. What is going to be a better business decision? You'll suggest something that involves tying up more capital, that costs more to operate resulting more in more expensive quotes which will turn more jobs away than it attracts.
I must say I am little biased however, there has always been something strange about chieftain/navajo-only charter operators.
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The sooner we get rid of these old piston twins the sooner the industry will start to turnaround.
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I'm sorry. There is just no substance behind this statement. As I alluded to before, how is an industry which is already crippled by costs brought on by the regulator going to turn around simply because businesses buy new Caravans? Hell, You can't even just go an do IFR charter in them for some silly reason.
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I agree CASA adds unnecessary costs to a already struggling industry, however I'd say over half if not more of GA operators need to have a hard look at themselves as the source of the problem. Particularly rpt operators who think they can still get away with putting paying public on old tired piston twins. However, I agree you need capital to change it, just like any other business in any other industry.
We also have to look at how much a company is willing to pay for a charter. LCC RPT has led the general public to believe that $50 is a perfectly acceptable price for a flight Melbourne to Sydney, and therefore anyone who charges $200 for a 30 minute scenic is a complete rip off merchant. Only the government can afford to pay $8k for a Conquest charter YPAD / YPAG / YPAD, as reported in the weekend papers.
And if piston twins are so tired and old, why is the thread-starter trying to import one? Why doesn't he / she go straight to the turbines that we apparently should all be flying - could it be because turbines are expensive bits of kit to buy and to operate (particularly with our regulators assistance) which is why GA are still using pistons?
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I don't know of any RPT guys "putting paying passengers in tired old twins"....If you look around, charter GA guys are moving to Caravans and King Airs. Smaller GA guys are still operating pistons, but they are generally not RPT.
We also have to look at how much a company is willing to pay for a charter. LCC RPT has led the general public to believe that $50 is a perfectly acceptable price for a flight Melbourne to Sydney, and therefore anyone who charges $200 for a 30 minute scenic is a complete rip off merchant. Only the government can afford to pay $8k for a Conquest charter YPAD / YPAG / YPAD, as reported in the weekend papers.
And if piston twins are so tired and old, why is the thread-starter trying to import one? Why doesn't he / she go straight to the turbines that we apparently should all be flying - could it be because turbines are expensive bits of kit to buy and to operate (particularly with our regulators assistance) which is why GA are still using pistons?
We also have to look at how much a company is willing to pay for a charter. LCC RPT has led the general public to believe that $50 is a perfectly acceptable price for a flight Melbourne to Sydney, and therefore anyone who charges $200 for a 30 minute scenic is a complete rip off merchant. Only the government can afford to pay $8k for a Conquest charter YPAD / YPAG / YPAD, as reported in the weekend papers.
And if piston twins are so tired and old, why is the thread-starter trying to import one? Why doesn't he / she go straight to the turbines that we apparently should all be flying - could it be because turbines are expensive bits of kit to buy and to operate (particularly with our regulators assistance) which is why GA are still using pistons?