Army aviators urge re-fleeting of “obsolete, corroding” military planes

Jan 28, 2014 News

The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Air Corps’ aging fleet is becoming an area of major concern, and pilots, engineers attached to the military are urging the Administration to consider sourcing a new fleet of planes to replace those in operation at the moment.
The current fixed wing fleet includes a 1960s British-made Skyvan which has been in service for nearly 30 years and is expensive to maintain. A Chinese Harbin Y-12, purchased in 2001, was recently given an extra five year-operational life; and a smaller aircraft; a single-engine Cessna 206; seized during a drug raid, also make up the fleet. Three helicopters, including a Bell 412, complement the line.
Veteran pilots say however that the authorities should seriously look over the fleet, suggesting that the GDF focus on sourcing the early 80s introduced Short C-23 Sherpa and the Polish light cargo and passenger PZL M28 Skytruck as these are ideal for the relatively short and sometimes rough interior airstrips.
The aviation officers say that apart from the age-old twin-engine turboprop Y-12, the Skyvan started to show serious signs of corrosion on parts of its frame. These carriers are said to be the most used during operations.
Speaking to senior officers within the Air Corps yesterday, Kaieteur News was told that replacing the Army’s fleet is not as easy as it may seem. The newspaper was told that replacing the obsolete multi-purpose Skyvan alone would take great consideration taking into account the various functions the plane can perform.
“It is not so easy to replace the Skyvan’s multi-purpose system, no aircraft can compete with it,” the Officer said. “Not even the Skytruck can stand up; the cabin is much smaller among other things.” The officer added that sourcing parts for the Skyvan is extremely difficult since that line of aircraft is obsolete and some parts have to be made to order.
The Officer explained further that the six-seat single-engine Cessna is much too small for the army’s tasks. The Cessna Company describes the aircraft as the “sport-utility vehicle of the air.”
Kaieteur News was told that a team would have to be convened in order to properly source the most suitable air transport for the Corps. Much consideration has to be put into this new fleet to take into account, not only the airplane’s purpose but the environment in which it will operate.
The Senior Officer added that aviation officials should pay more attention to the landing grounds of the interior. One important factor that was mentioned pertained to airstrips and their maintenance. The officer reminisced that in the days of the Guyana Airways Corporation (GAC) the company’s 50 seat Hawker Siddeley 748 traveled to interior locations such as Lethem and Kamarang to name a few.
“In those days, the airstrips were highly maintained,” the Officer said. He suggested that at this stage, planes such as Dash 8s should have been flying to those areas, before noting that the type of landing space will greatly affect the type of planes needed.
Head of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Zulficar Mohamed, has stated however that checks will be made to ascertain information relating to the airworthiness of the GDF’s plane fleet. The GCAA is responsible for overlooking the affairs of the country’s aviation sector.

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Army aviators urge re-fleeting of “obsolete, corroding” military planes

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