No More?

[donv]

I heard a pretty solid rumor that Commanders are done for USFS firefighting purposes?

Seems like that will have a pretty big impact on the Commander market and fleet?

[appleseed]

Now that is a significant rumor.

USFS aviation leadership has never been known for making sensible plans. The flight and ground visibility (plus economy, plus S/E hot high performance, +,+,+) of the Commanders makes them obviously superior to anything else except maybe the OV-10s. But at some point, if you can afford it, you want to put a limit on the age of the equipment you are operating.

Folks that aren't directly involved in maintaining and operating complex equipment often assume that reliability is related to age of equipment. It is actually the parts supply chain and the quality of technical support. And these generally track with the size of the fleet and the annual hours that the fleet is flying.

In the long run, the question may be, did Ontic lose the USFS, or did loss of USFS deal a death blow to Ontic's commander division.

I hope your rumor dies out, or at least doesn't come to pass for another 10 years Donv.

[donv]

The more specific part of the rumor is that the USFS is requiring a tail inspection and rework which is basically impossible to comply with... a couple of operators are trying to do so, but don't have the final instructions yet, and it will be a very lengthy and expensive process.

The good news is that it only applies to USFS operations, so the rest of us don't have to worry about it.

[donv]

Hopefully Bruce will be along to tell us that it isn't true.

[Bruce Byerly]

Appleseed, though I much prefer real names, has pointed out some popular questions.

There are many loyal Commander enthusiasts out there and I am among them.  I flew a Shrike 4 legs today for business and know it’s a fantastic plane.  While my dad told me not to love anything that can’t love back, Commanders have always done WAY more than I ever asked of them. Can’t say that about most planes and, I think like Don,  I have more  than my share of experience through good luck and determination.

I just wish the type certificate holder would be faster to recognize certain realities and priorities.