Relaunch and re-manufactured turboprops of yesterday.

25 August 2008 · Leave a Comment

In the last posting I mentioned heaven to me is having the time over the weekend to sit down with my two favourite magazines The Economist and Flight International to catch up on news. That’s getting more and more difficult these days as we have two small kids.

In Flight International over the last few months there has been some interesting trends, brought about by a renewed interest in turbo prop aircraft given the increased cost in the price of crude oil. Typically turboprops burn about 30% less jet fuel per seat compared to the average jet, which can add up to big bucks for airlines struggling with fuel bills that have nearly doubled from a year ago.

During the last 20 years turbo props have been the poor relation to to the jet. In the over 50 seat sector the market has shaken out. Two key manufacturers remain – ATR and Bombardier with the Dash 8 (formerly de Havilland Canada purchased originally by Boeing and latterly by Bombardier).

Gone are the likes of the Vickers Vicounts, and work horses like the Hawker Siddley HS748 and its replacement the BAE ATP, Saabs and Fokkers to name but a few.

In the under 50 seat market there is beginning to be a resurgence of the turboprop with some old marques being re-manufactured by companies that have acquired the original blue prints and type certification authority from the aircraft’s original manufacturers. These re-manufactured aircraft are filling a gap for sturdy utility aircraft and for existing turboprop operators with ageing aircraft fleets looking at expansion or fleet renewal.

Recent examples have been:

Britten-Norman, who are bringing back into production the B-N Islanders
(2 crew + 8 seats)

Gippsland who are bring back the Australian workhorse the GAF Nomad
(2 crew + 12 seats)

RUAG who are bring back the Dornier 228 New Generation
(2 crew + 19 seats) The Dornier 228 with its droopy nose must be one of the ugliest turboprops!

Viking who are bring back the (DHC-6) Twin Otter Series 400
(2 crew + 19 seats)

Antilles who are bring back the late 1930’s flying boat the Grumman G-21H Goose (2 crew + 8 seats). Given worldwide there are no other seaplane manufacturers, Antilles could have the seaplane market to itself well into the future.

The story of how two friend V.L. Manuel and Tim Henderson when looking to purchase a seaplane ended up purchasing the remaining stock of original spares for the G-21 Goose, the original drawings and certification rights from 92 year old Dean Frankin of Franklin Aviation Enterprises (a broker of old aircraft based in Miami) is detailed in an article in Bushiness North Carolina. The FAA has now given approval for the revived Antilles Seaplanes G-21 Super Goose to start final assembly. A production certificate is expected in mid 2009.