First RCAF C-295 makes Maiden Flight

[C-GGGQ]

was the q400 ever looked at as an option? I'd imagine in a SAR type roll they could add an aux tank of some sort and have tons of range

As far as I was aware that "option" was part of the hold up. Had to prove the q400 wouldn't work. (No cargo ramp, range, etc.) Before they could go to something else

[Jet Jockey]

And I'm told really piss poor single engine performance too.

[ahramin]

What is piss poor single engine performance? Either it can climb out from a v1 cut at the weights and airports it operates at or it can't. Are you saying it cannot?

[Rowdy]

The Q? has piss poor single engine performance? News to me....

[TheStig]

We hear lots about the failures, political intervention, skewed requirements, and so so forth. I'm actually just happy to see anything actually get ordered and delivered. The C-27 to me seems like more of a 'mini-Herc' in the sense that it maybe more of a tactical airlift design than a SAR aircraft. It has a checkered history in the US, I'm sure politics played a role but the Army rid themselves of it pretty quickly. The C-295 seems fairly comparable to the Buffalo, (other than it's amazing STOL performance).

I hope our dedicated RCAF crews have been provided with the proper tools for their job.

[TG]

Q-400 wasn't designed to drop things or to spend prolonged periods at 1000 AGL (exposure to low level turbulence results in accelerated airframe fatigue). Both key aspects of SAR.

I beg to differ

https://www.airliners.net/photo/France- ... MR/2163819

[Jet Jockey]

What is piss poor single engine performance? Either it can climb out from a v1 cut at the weights and airports it operates at or it can't. Are you saying it cannot?

I was told by someone that flies the Herc in the Forces, that the C-295’s single engine performance when loaded up is marginal.

[ahramin]

So if I have understood, you lose an engine at the worst possible time and it meets all the performance requirements to climb out safely and clean up for an uneventful return ... but not as well as a herc ... quelle horreure! Get rid of it.

[Gannet167]

Any airplane can do a V1 cut at the right weight, density altitude and climb gradient. It's just that the 295 struggles with a useful kit load, useful fuel load and any climb gradient. Sure, it'll meet the minimum requirements, but do they bring the life rafts or the fuel to get on station to drop them? Do they wait for vmc weather to depart?

Some airplanes, it seems, perform better than others.

The Herc for all its faults can carry all the kit needed, all the fuel needed and depart one engine inop out of the mountains, and still get re-tasked to another search site and get the job done. Your mileage may vary, but if it's you and your loved ones awaiting life saving SAR, you may prefer more capability, kit, loiter time on station, range, speed, etc; rather than less.

[Alav]

Bit meanwhile the c27 - looks like a herc gets maintained like a herc, uses a significant % of herc parts... oh and it's a much more versatile platform. Not like we have an aviation industry here that knows Hercules right?

So let's buy an Airbus so we need to have another whole supply line, a whole new training system and maintenance teams and training for them.

This is Canadian military purchasing showing exactly why this needs to be resolved once and for all.

"Hey Trump, you have 40 some brand new c27j's mothballed at Davis, can we buy 20? We'll pick them up next month, make us both look good. Warranty smarranty, make the price good and viking and Cascade can have some work"

[Capt. Underpants]

I beg to differ

https://www.airliners.net/photo/France- ... MR/2163819
[/quote]

True, and utilization on such utility and SAR variations of an aircraft tends to be pretty low when compared with a regional airline operation. In any case, I would hope that the SAR contract requires load and stress monitoring for the airframe and engines. It sure should.