A Cobham BAe 146 begins its take-off roll on an unpaved runway. (BAE Systems)
Cobham Aviation Services has won a 24-month contract to fly Blackham Resources – Matilda Operations Pty Ltd’s workers to the gold miner’s Wiluna site in Western Australia.
The contract commenced on 20 September 2016 and covered two flights a week with 71-seat BAe 146-100 jets, Cobham said in a statement on September 29.
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Cobham Aviation Services chief executive Peter Nottage said Blackham was a new client for the charter and fly-in/fly-out provider.
“This award demonstrates our competitive offering and unique value proposition, despite current challenging market conditions,” Nottage said in a statement.
“We are proud of our ability to provide this type of commercial service and of our capability to fly into areas most other providers can’t access due to our unique gravel runway kits.”
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The use of jet aircraft to unpaved runways took a step forward in March 2015 when the European Aviation Safety Authority signed off on an increase in maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) for operators of the BAe 146-100/200 regional jet on unpaved runways, following the results of a two-year trial.
What a good airplane for that operation. I flew them in Hawaii for a short period for a now nonexistent airline (Discover) it’s value to short field and Steep approach airports and unimproved airports was really remarkable . Good luck to CAS
I’d be interested to know how their engines stand up af the end of their
Contract-best regards
iscover
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Terry Bailie
says:What a good airplane for that operation. I flew them in Hawaii for a short period for a now nonexistent airline (Discover) it’s value to short field and Steep approach airports and unimproved airports was really remarkable . Good luck to CAS
I’d be interested to know how their engines stand up af the end of their
Contract-best regards