Flying Colours Corp, the maintenance,
refurbishment and completion specialist, has signed an agreement with fixed wing
aerial firefighting aircraft provider Conair Group Inc to modify six production
Q400MR aircraft to support multi-purpose missions.
Flying Colours will be responsible for the
engineering, fabrication, installation, certification and completion of four
different cabin interiors to support passenger, cargo, combi-transport and
medevac special missions.
In passenger mode, the interior will
accommodate up to 64 passengers; the full air freighter mode will transport up
to nine tons of cargo; while the medevac format will support up to six
stretchers, associated medical equipment and clinical team. The combined
passenger/cargo interior will carry up to 19 passengers along with freight.
As part of the modification process Flying
Colours will integrate a customized Inmarsat Cobham Aviator 700 system. This
will enable flexible communications and connectivity via the Inmarsat network
that can be adapted for each aircraft mission.
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Flying Colours will develop four different
mission interiors for the Q400MR. |
The first aircraft will be inducted in March
2018 at the Flying Colours KSUS St. Louis, MO. facility. The subsequent aircraft
modifications will take place over the next several years. When redelivered each
aircraft will benefit from access to four interior options, that can be quickly
switched in and out, according to mission requirements. Each aircraft will also
incorporate an upgraded version of Conair’s proprietary Retardant Delivery
System which will carry more water, or retardant, than the existing 10 000 litre
capacity. The retardant tank can be easily removed and installed in the field
within a few hours. The ability to easily change the aircraft to one of five
different mission options will maximise operational efficiency, and costs, in a
diverse range of operating environments.
Flying Colours will use its considerable
experience in the completions field to fulfil the specialty aircraft mandate.
“We have been awarded the project based on our
extensive know-how and capabilities having worked on complex special mission
projects for military and governments around the world. We worked hard
throughout the highly competitive bid process to demonstrate that we will
provide an innovative approach to completing a multi-faceted project. This is
the first time that a Q400 has had all these interior types configured for a
single fuselage, it’s a unique project and we are delighted to have been awarded
the contract,” said Sean Gillespie,
Executive VP Flying Colours Corp.
“This is a very important project for Conair
Group Inc. as it maximizes the potential of the interior of the aircraft while
maintaining its exceptional ability as an aerial firefighting aircraft. We
selected Flying Colours as it is renowned for its flexibility and expertise in
missionizing aircraft to very particular cabin specifications,” added
Barry Marsden,
Chairman & CEO, Conair.
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