Forrestair Forges Ahead

Forrestair had already amassed a deal of aggressive philosophy and sound marketing expertise in their Partenavia operation when they were awarded the Nomad dis­ tributorship in mid-1977.

Partenavia sales outlines were plotted on the Nomad operations’ graph, and aircraft sales manager Bernie New­ comb and his team did some serious homework before em­ barking on Nomad’s nationwide exposure exercise.

Results are already filtering through. Three machines were ordered before the Reg. 203 green light was given, and groundwork laid for what Newcomb calls end-user demonstrations now under way.

Meanwhile, while waiting for Australian approval to be given, Nomad sales overseas went ahead under GAF aegis, to countries operating under ARB and FAA regulations.

GAF, men say Nomad sales overseas began in 1975 under the impetus of a serious marketing program. So far 60 have been sold in civil mode. The Indonesian Navy currently operates 12 surveillance Nomads, the Philippines flies eight.

And repeat orders are coming in.

Forrestair have mounted an interesting·-and telling suck­ it-and·-see experiment while showing Nomad to Australia’s commercial tycoons.

Bush Pilots Airways have been leased a Nomad N22B on a six-months trial period, operating from BPAs Cairns head­ quarters on routine third-level runs.

Passenger and pilot comment has been, to put it conser­ vatively, enthusiastic. Economically, operationally, Nomad has WO!’) its spurs, echoing solid support already given by customers in Central America, Europe, the US and South-East Asia.

Curtain-raiser reports from Western Australia before the nationwide Nomad exposure began were summed up in one word by Nomad demonstrator pilot Erroll Driver, in a report to Forrestair’s Essendon base – “Fantastic”. And it’s really not surprising.

“‘Nomad has been an undersold aircraft,” says aircraft manager Newcomb. Its success overseas – and confidently in Australia – is due to a combination of the aircraft itself and Forrestair’s positive marketing stance.

Its future in Australia appears to be aimed at third level work, commercial short-haul heavy-lift operations in Australia’s north-west, and general charter. And, of course, an ideal slot in Australia’s inshore surveillance team if politicians and the Services can settle differences in who should run the force and how it is to be funded.

GAF, for its part, is settled on a current 125-unit production run, with 60 aircraft already sold. The GAF Fishermens Bend operation cuts metal and assembles N22s and N24s on adaptable jigs and tooling to fuselage and wings stage.

The results are run through final assembly and engine mounting at Avalon, where a small and dedicated band of production test pilots put the beasts through their paces.

Meanwhile, Forrestair is forging ahead with another winner – the Partenavia P68B, a·nother under-estimated aircraft which has proved itself in one of the toughest world markets, the Australia scene.

Why Partenavia made such a slow take-off can only be conjectured. Overall sampling of the cause boiled down to an almost slavish adherence to traditional Big Three types and perhaps some apprehension of a bona fide European type air­ craft.

Partenavia’s P68B has now become a firm part of the Australian skyscape, in private, third level and charter operations.

Thirty-three have been sold-in the past three years; to be more precise, 33 have been sold in that time, but Forrestair have been selling in increasing numbers per annum for the three years Partenavia have been on the Australian market. One copy is now operating under a Reg. 203 arrange­ ment, between Geelong and Tullamarine. Government departments operate P68Bs, and the Rockhampton aerial am­ bulance base flies another.

Forrestair’s Enstrom helicopters – the first rotary wing types from the US built from the metal up as civil types and not adapted from military machines – are perhaps Forrestair’s glamour-girls. Replete with chrome fittings – even chrome rudder pedals and control column – the Enstroms are very much the playboy’s machine, and more and more interest is being shown in these blue-blooded choppers.

Summing up, Nomad and Partenavia can look forward to a bright, prolonged future thanks to Forrestair’s long-term marketing techniques which include after-sales customer ser­ vice on a regular basis, not just when things go wrong or the aircraft come back for a 100-hourly.