Fri, Oct 09, 2009
Company Support For The 25-Year-Old Design
Bombardier Commercial Aircraft has
launched its Extended Service Program (ESP) to extend the economic
life of the Dash 8-100 turboprop to 120,000 flight cycles from the
original 80,000 flight cycles. The launch customer for the Dash
8-100 ESP is Widerøe’s Flyveselskap AS of Norway.
The Dash 8-100 aircraft entered service in December 1984, and
today - as its 25th anniversary approaches - there are an estimated
240 in service throughout the world. Bombardier estimates the
near-term market for the ESP would be the approximately 100 Dash
8-100 aircraft which have flown 50,000 or more cycles.
“The first Dash 8-100 aircraft in our fleet entered
service in 1993 and have each done about 60,000 cycles so the
Extended Service Program will give the airplanes another 10 or 12
years of useful life,” said Lars Kobberstad, Chief Executive
Officer of Widerøe.
“The Dash 8-100 aircraft is a robust and reliable
turboprop and the extension program will further enhance its
operational value to customers,” said Benjamin Boehm,
Vice-President, Programs, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft.
“The ESP will be accomplished through structural and
engineering analysis, utilizing extensive fatigue and test data
that has been accumulated on the Dash 8 aircraft, and will be
initiated through a Service Bulletin, which will make reference to
a new Maintenance Supplement.”
As launch customer, Widerøe will incorporate the Service
Bulletin and Maintenance Program Supplement and arrange for the
replacement of some structural and systems components as identified
by the Service Bulletin.
While initially aimed at the Dash 8-100 aircraft model, the ESP
could be expanded to apply to the Dash 8-200 and Dash 8-300
aircraft as they approach the 80,000 cycle mark. Mr. Boehm said
that third-party facilities are interested in offering other Dash
8-100 upgrades such as new interiors and the addition of a modern
“glass” cockpit with large LCD displays.
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