The first of 11 Dash 8 Q400 aircrafts have arrived in Abbotsford and Conair Group Inc. will soon begin the conversion into airtankers engineered specifically for aerial firefighting.
The craft will eventually transform into the Q400AT, which is considered to be the most advanced airtanker in the world today.
The aircraft will be modified from Conair含羞草研究社檚 hangars in Abbotsford by their team of aerospace specialists. The modification process will begin this quarter and is scheduled to be completed in time for North America含羞草研究社檚 wildfire season, taking approximately 75 calendar days to convert.
含羞草研究社淭he first step in the conversion process is an interior de-mod, or stripping down the cabin to the bare frame in order to reduce the aircraft含羞草研究社檚 weight.含羞草研究社� stated Dustin Littler, Aircraft Conversion Manager at Conair. 含羞草研究社淭he cockpit is then opened up to allow for access to install specialized avionics.含羞草研究社�
The flight deck is equipped with a Conair developed and Transport Canada certified Flight Envelope Awareness System, which provide pilots with enhanced safety awareness information such as instantaneous G-Loading, slow speed awareness, and angle of attack information.
The airtanker will be outfitted with an external tank, enabling the interior of the fuselage to remain pressurized and climate controlled, creating a safer environment for pilots by reducing fatigue.
含羞草研究社淚t takes a solid eight weeks to install the tank, fairings and perform avionics modifications, plus another two weeks to reassemble the cockpit, and perform operational tests, ground runs and test flights.含羞草研究社� Littler added. 含羞草研究社淭he tank is manufactured, tested and calibrated prior to the install on the Dash 8.含羞草研究社�
The Q400AT is then painted in Conair含羞草研究社檚 signature white, red and black colours to complete the process.
Conair has been modifying the Q400 into airtankers since 2005, operating the first Q400AT in Australia this past bushfire season and providing a multi-role variant, the Q400MR, to France for the past 15 years.
含羞草研究社淭his is the most versatile airtanker of its size available for aerial firefighting.含羞草研究社� stated Jeff Berry, Director of Business Development at Conair. 含羞草研究社淭he converted aircraft has the capacity to drop 10,000 litres of water, retardant or gel/foam over diverse geography, operable on most 5,000 ft runways. This means the large airtanker can respond to a multitude of fires,including those in more remote settings not located near large airports or tanker bases. It offers greater flexibility, response and support for our wildfire agency customers.含羞草研究社�
