Conair Group, Falko sign marketing agreement

[W5]

Jan. 26, 2012, Sacramento, Ca. - Conair Group Inc. and Falko, the UK-based aircraft asset management company, announced today at the Aerial Firefighting Conference and Exhibition, in Sacramento, Calif. that they have signed an exclusive worldwide Joint Venture marketing agreement to promote the Avro RJ85 jet aircraft as the next generation Type 1 large airtanker with more than 3,000 U.S. gallons of capacity.
The agreement follows the sale by Falko to Conair in late 2011 of an initial late model RJ85 aircraft. This aircraft was delivered in December to Conair’s facility at Abbotsford in British Columbia. The aircraft is now undergoing conversion to an airtanker and will be ready for the 2013 fire season, after all regulatory tests have been carried out and approvals received.

Rick Pedersen, senior vice president of Conair, believes that the Avro RJ85 Airtanker is the most suitable aircraft to meet the urgent requirement for a modern, affordable, Type 1 airtanker for service over many decades in the North American market initially, but also in overseas arenas.

"We have undertaken a detailed evaluation of both the BAe 146 and Avro RJ85 including simulator and flight testing of the aircraft in the demanding low-level profile required in fire-fighting missions," he said. "It is important to note that we are working closely with BAE Systems as the Original Equipment Manufacturer. As a later variant of the BAe 146, the Avro RJ85 is a younger aircraft which will give longer life, and with its higher design weights and better 'hot and high' performance it will be a more suitable aircraft for these demanding missions.

“With the improved performance of the RJ85 coupled with what we believe to be a game-changing tank design, the RJ85 Airtanker will offer a significant improved mission capability compared to existing, new and proposed aircraft including the BAe 146-200.”

Falko has a portfolio of approximately 30 Avro RJ85s, which is the singular largest supply of this type, some of which are available immediately, and others that will soon be available.

Said Stuart Begg, vice president sales and marketing at Falko: “We are excited to be joining forces with Conair who are, in our opinion, the most experienced airtanker conversion house and operator in the world today. We have a good feedstock of aircraft that will more than meet the requirements of the market in terms of numbers required. There is no doubt that, once approved, the Avro RJ85 Airtanker with the Conair designed and installed tank and delivery system will be a long-term solution to the pressing replacement needs of the aerial firefighting industry”.

[longjon]

Wasn't there a big thread on here recently with a lot of Avcan experts running down this aircraft and how it would never make the grade.
But then what does Conair know about air tankers

[Flybabe]

Post a link to the thread with the "running down" comments?

[Just Duckie]

And with Conair now owning a piece of Aero Flite in the US, it will be interesting to see where that 1st one ends up in 2013.

[fire flyer]

Just to get a few words in on this.
I understand that Conairs stake in AeroFlite is a controlling interest. What that means is anyone guess but with a USDA/FS RFP now closed asking for Large tankers you can bet bottom dollar that Conair/AeroFlite are going to be a contender. The RJ85 is looking like the "next great thing" to bring the fleet a little closer to this century at a reasonable(enter opinion here) cost. Conair is also putting money into the Bird Dog program with a new C525 going on line this year and possibly getting dirty subbing in for a Commander, Aerostar or C208 to show what it can do. Anyhow, summer is coming and questions will be answered before it ends.

Burn Baby Burn!

FF