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http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2004/04/12/canada/seaking040412
OTTAWA - Some venerable Sea King helicopters will continue flying for another eight years, documents obtained by CBC Radio show.
The trouble-prone aircraft, which first flew under Canadian colours in 1963, are supposed to be replaced within four years, Defence Minister David Pratt said recently in response to a question from New Democratic Party MP Alexa McDonough.
But documents obtained under the Access to Information Act show the Canadian Forces is considering 2012 as its new official retirement date for the Sea Kings.
They‘ll be more than 50 years old by then.
"You have to look at the number of years it takes to get full delivery of all aircraft," said Col. Francois Pion, who oversees the Sea King life extension project.
"And then on top of that, you have to look at how long it‘s going to take to train your personnel, be it maintenance personnel or aircrew, and how long it‘s going to take them to actually come up to speed and become operational on the new aircraft."
That makes 2012 the earliest reasonable retirement date for the Sea King â “ if all goes well with the purchase of new helicopters, one memo says.
Meanwhile, the Sea Kings will require millions of dollars in upgrades to stay airworthy.
Because of mechanical problems, Sea King pilots have been trained to fly on one engine, and how to ditch at sea. They are also restricted in the kinds of flying they can do.
The Liberals cancelled an order to replace the helicopters in 1993. A contract for a new machine to replace the Sea Kings is expected to be announced this month.
Sea Kings are used for anti-submarine and coastal patrols, and search and rescue.
The government bought 15 Cormorant helicopters in 1998 for search-and-rescue operations.
Any Comments??
OTTAWA - Some venerable Sea King helicopters will continue flying for another eight years, documents obtained by CBC Radio show.
The trouble-prone aircraft, which first flew under Canadian colours in 1963, are supposed to be replaced within four years, Defence Minister David Pratt said recently in response to a question from New Democratic Party MP Alexa McDonough.
But documents obtained under the Access to Information Act show the Canadian Forces is considering 2012 as its new official retirement date for the Sea Kings.
They‘ll be more than 50 years old by then.
"You have to look at the number of years it takes to get full delivery of all aircraft," said Col. Francois Pion, who oversees the Sea King life extension project.
"And then on top of that, you have to look at how long it‘s going to take to train your personnel, be it maintenance personnel or aircrew, and how long it‘s going to take them to actually come up to speed and become operational on the new aircraft."
That makes 2012 the earliest reasonable retirement date for the Sea King â “ if all goes well with the purchase of new helicopters, one memo says.
Meanwhile, the Sea Kings will require millions of dollars in upgrades to stay airworthy.
Because of mechanical problems, Sea King pilots have been trained to fly on one engine, and how to ditch at sea. They are also restricted in the kinds of flying they can do.
The Liberals cancelled an order to replace the helicopters in 1993. A contract for a new machine to replace the Sea Kings is expected to be announced this month.
Sea Kings are used for anti-submarine and coastal patrols, and search and rescue.
The government bought 15 Cormorant helicopters in 1998 for search-and-rescue operations.
Any Comments??
