New Niche for Low-Cycle Regional Aircraft
By Bill Burchell 
LONDON--There's nothing like expediency to foster innovation. Take BAE Systems Regional Aircraft, for example, which, after 15 years of leasing, managing and re-marketing passenger aircraft, is moving into the market for fire-fighting aircraft.
The move follows the sale of a BAe 146-200 to Minden Air Corp. of Nevada for conversion to an air-tanker/aerial water bomber. The aircraft was delivered in early January.
The sale-for-conversion follows a successful set of trials undertaken in September 2004, when a BAe 146-100 flew nine sorties from Minden Air's base using an instrumented and ballasted aircraft. The aircraft was flown on typical fire fighting flight profiles to demonstrate the performance and handling in this environment and to gather the resulting loads data. All of these flights were observed by fire-fighting aircraft operators from the western U.S.
A long-established air-tanker converter and operator, Minden Air has developed its own design for the BAe 146 air-tanker, which it plans to convert under a supplemental type certificate. The aircraft should be operational for the 2010 fire season with a maximum capacity of 3,000 gallons of fire suppressing fluid.
As the aircraft OEM, BAE Systems Regional Aircraft is offering technical assistance to Minden Air to help with the conversion, including engineering data packs and specialist technical support. The OEM also could provide long-term in-service support to Minden Air.
According to Steve Doughty, VP sales & marketing for BAE Systems Asset Management, more than 160 aircraft, comprising 16 different types, fly a fire-fighting role in North America today, while a significant number of other types operate around the globe, indicating good market potential in this niche.
"The key to this market is aircraft with a low cyclic age, since stress analysis indicates that each mission flown must be counted as seven for fatigue life, thus potentially truncating the useful economic life of higher cycle aircraft," he explained. "Within our portfolio we have the right blend of young aircraft with the optimum number of cycles to ensure any converted aircraft will be capable of operating long-term. We also have the potential to work with other air tanker converter/operators which are prepared to develop their own conversion designs."
BAE Regional Aircraft also is re- directing the skills it uses to keep an aging fleet of BAe aircraft flying by increasing its business in third-party aircraft asset management and lease advisory services for banks and finance houses.
It currently supports, manages and leases an aircraft portfolio of 82 Avro RJs, 50 BAe 146s, 28 ATPs and 31 Jetstream 31s and 41s, as well as 50 other non-BAe types. Additionally, it acts as adviser on an Airbus portfolio on behalf of Air 2 US and has lease management and technical monitoring responsibilities with a number of banks covering various aircraft types.
"At a time of global economic recession and with a growing number of airline failures and aircraft repossessions by financial institutions, we anticipate heavy demand for the type of expert services we offer," said BAE Systems' Paul Stirling, EVP Regional Aircraft Asset Management.
To underline this new direction, Stirling said his business development team is being strengthened by a seven-fold increase in personnel to specifically target commercial aircraft remarketing for third parties and lease advisory business.
"We intend to become a major player in offering these services across a very wide portfolio," he said.
This article appeared in the March 2009 issue of Overhaul & Maintenance.
Photo: BAE Regional Aircraft
