is this similar to general Custer telling his men to " hurry up or we will miss all the Indians" I hope not

This may be the salvation of theTourist Industry if PAWA can devolop a reasonable andefficient operation through the use of aircraft that are fuel efficient and have low maintenance.
The Jetstream 31 is an efficient aircraft and ideal for short legs (under 600 nautical miles), if they have been retrofitted with either the higher thrust engines of Pratt & Whitney PT6-40 (?)and/or Garret design. The original Astizu Engines were under-powered, lowered the max gross weight of the aircraft considrably and were difficult to maintain. This new configuration would make it ian deal aircraft for the Caribbean routes of Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, The Bahamas, Jamaica, Cuba , etc.
The DC-9, if retrofitted with fuel efficient Turbo-fan engines for longer flights, ie., Miami to the DR, would serve the limited traffic currently at risk by the reduction of American Airlines schedules.
Evidently the management of PAWA has done their homework and are to be congratulated.

TB

I am glad to here this bill we need as much lift as we can get but i think we have to many airports to maintain thus very high taxes among other reasons....the Samana airport plus the highway ...they must think they are going to pave the whole peninsula

A DC-9 ? not a MD-80 or 90? the last DC-9 was built in October, 1982. This aircraft would be at least 26 years old ! while dirt cheap to buy, the operating cost would be prohibitive. The commuter routes, which the Jetstreams would be used, are already well met by existing companies. Still, I wish them luck.

Does everyone feel that its snowing in the DR????

zak325:

Aircraft are not like automobiles, zak. They are originally built by their manufacturers to have so many flight hours and landings in a system called "lifed" mechanisms.
I don't know what these hours/landings are for the DC-9, but they're WAY UP THERE. Look at the DC-3, which was built in the early 30's all the way through WWII and beyound. That airframe was built for a huge number of hours of opration and was the"workhorse" of the airline industry.
And, fyi, airframes can be "remanufactured" back to "zero" time, engines retrofitted through a system of "supplemental type certification" to further extend the operational capability of the airframe, including the increase of "Gross Weight" by their addition.
Running an airline is a complicated business and it is not for the feint-hearted nor marginal businessman to participate in. It can "eat your lunch" very quickly.
I just hope the guys at PAWA know what they're doing.

TB

Yeah Bill just like getting on a old russian airliner to Cuba. It was very retro and I was scared shit at how old it must have been.

Escott ...how was it over there in the workers paradise? nice eh

As someone who has had A+P training, I know about structual flight time on airframes and time on powerplants (SMOH), as I said above, it's not cheap. We live in world where there is a glut of civil aircraft, check out Davis-Monthan or Pima, not only old DC-9's, DC-10's and older 747's but an ever growing number of Airbus A-300/310/320, 767 and 757's made surplus from reduced and eliminated routes and of course, failed airlines. By the way, every plane built to replace the DC-3 is retired, all Convairs, Martins, Viscounts, Fokker F-27's, Avro 748 and DHC Caribou. No replacing a DC-3, just retirement.

Jimharrington=JOSEAN:

Buddy why Don't You worry instead for Your own people????

zak:

Didn't mean to step on your toes. I was unaware of your expertice in the aviation field.
I do agree about the A/C's at Pima and Davis Monthan. Been there plenty of times picking up parts for the T-34's we had at LAAF Station Aero Club. Had to keep them running somehow andtheparts were at no cost, just had to sign for them and run. That was in 69-70 timeframe.

The number of hours that an aircraft will operate today is far cry from 60-70 years ago during the era of the rag-wings, isn't it???

TB

Bill how about those old gooses of Antilles Airboats built in the 30s the only thing that stopped them was hurricane Hugo.....Aviation..legend Charley Blair went down in one of his own seaplanes another pilot refused to fly...Like it was yesterday I can see him having lunch with the beauteous Maureen OHara Blair at Club Comanche in St Croix from my perch at the bar....http://www.airliners.net/photo/An....next_id=0714878........Apparently they are still flying them in Alaska...they dont make em like that anymore

These aircraft are registered in the US with N tail numbers and therfore must be maintained and annually certified in the US

That is the only way they are permitted into US airports as commercial vessels.

The FAA has not lifted the restrictions on dominican registered aircraft due to the corrupt Dominican Aeronautica Civil.

jimi that is interesting.... what say thee Texas Bill ?..but is that common ? like ships of Liberian registry or Panamanian registry...or is Dominican Civil Aviation board really a problem ? please enlighten us

Just a little different than ships.

To maintain the N registry the individual that owns the aircraft must be an american resident or american citizen.

If the aircraft is owned by a us corporation then the corporation must be owned by an american.

If the corporation is ownded by someone other than an american then it must spend the majority of the flying time in the US to maintain its us registry.

So when you actually and eventually see the tail number it can be checked in the us aircraft database for who is the owner.

Any aircraft in Comercial Service (ie., Commercial Airlines and Air Taxi Services) regardless of country of origin must comply with the rules as set forth by the International Commercial Aviation Organization. These rules govern every aspect of the Operation of the Entity; specifically the Maintenance Schedules, as set forth by the aircraft manufacturer, the Federal Regulations of the United States and other Nations of origin, the flight and duty times restrictions imposed on the aircrews, Company Operating Procedures regarding refueling, etc., etc.
There are a myriad of rules and regulations designed ot protect the public safety andany violation of these rules andregulations may result in fines and/or restrictions to operations.
That synopsis applies to all countries and is rigidly enforced by the ICAO.
It is no longer the "kick the tire and light the fire" type of operation practiced in the early 30's.
It is VERY SERIOUS.

TB

Globosal a major investor in hotels and our new airline is also the investor of biofuels plant in Azua so I guess they will make their own jet fuel and much cheaper ....READ THIS todays LA times......http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-newfuel5-2008jun05,0,5339412.story?track=rss

...If all goes well this summer, an Air New Zealand 747 jumbo jet will take off from Auckland this fall powered by fuel refined from the seed of a fast-growing weed.

The three-hour test flight could mark one of the more promising -- and more unusual -- steps by the financially strapped airline industry to find cheaper and more environmentally friendly alternatives to fossil fuel.

..The oil from poisonous seeds of the jatropha tree, which grows in warm climates around the world. For the last year, scientists here have been perfecting a process for turning the oil into jet fuel.

The jatropha oil is also significantly cheaper than crude oil. It could cost an estimated $43 a barrel, or about one-third of Wednesday's closing price of $122.30 for a barrel of crude oil.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-newfuel5-2008jun05,0,5339412.story.....this is the link

Good news for the U.S. Air force, the world's largest consumer of aviation fuel.

Yes,zak, and they are exploring the possibility of using COAL in a gasified form as a primary fuel to replace the JP variety.
Whether or not Congress will support such an innovation or not, remains to be seen.
Suffice to say, the US has an abundance of coal all over the country.
Additionally, theuse of "bio-fuels" isn't something new. The Germans were converting POTATOES into fuel for their aircraft andwar machines during WWII after the Ploesti fields in Rumania were bombed out.
The biggest problem with biofuels is that there will be those who will use foodstuffs to produce fuel, leaving a tremendous void in the food production arena.
We must feed people first, then fuel the industries and transportation scenario.
The Chicken or the Egg question is ever present here.

TB

you cant eat jatropha and 60 years ago was not jet fuel...... this experiment in new zealand will be the first flight ever ....this is local ....Globosal owns local hotels a local airline and a local fuel source ...thats integration

Though little is known in the U.S., jatropha is widely viewed as a potential wonder plant in many parts of the world where longtime fuel shortages have led to development of alternative energy sources to power automobiles and factories.

But the latest effort by Air New Zealand, which is also getting help from jet-engine maker Rolls-Royce, is the first to process the oil for jet fuel and comes after nearly two years of research into a second generation of biofuels.

After it gets its first supply of jatropha-based jet fuel in July, the airline will have to wait a few months for regulatory approvals and fuel certifications to begin the test flights, which, if all goes well, could occur in September.

Correction: PAWA was not the first Dominican airline to fly to U.S. Territory. That was done way back in March by Air Century. In fact, I believe that Air Century are the true pioneers here opening the air space for all local Dominican airlines. I think Dominican Today needs to fire their fact checker or stop collecting money to print lies.

Sorry! I am usually not this mean, but I get really agitated when credit is not given where it is due.

good for you jenny keep up the mean streak

GC;
What we're talking about on this thread is "BIOFUELS" .
It doesn't make a damn bit of difference if it is gasolene or diesel or JP fuel, it's BIOFUEL.
The reference to the German's making fuel from POTATOES was inserted as a reference to the fact that research has been going on for a helluva long time on substitutes for petroleum-based fuels. Just remember, there are many more astute minds than yours or mine working on this problem and you're not the sole propietor of information in this field, so lighten up. In addition my post was not made as a contradiction to yours and had nothing what-so-ever to do with yours. SO THERE>

TB

well necessity is the mother of invention Bill so i guess the potatoes for fuel analogy flies..so to speak.ha ha