The Royal Australian Air Force fleet of Beech 350 (B300) King Airs based at East Sale, Vic, recently surpassed the impressive 20,000 flying hour milestone.

The glass cockpit equipped, multi engine turboprop fleet is supported by Hawker Pacific under a turn-key, performance based aircraft lease contract, referred to in more recent times as a PPP (Public Private Partnership) arrangement.

Now approaching mid-life of the initial ten year contract, Hawker Pacific is very proud of the performance of the aircraft, the support arrangements provided and the relationship that has been built up over time in providing this training enabler to the Australian Defence Force. The King Airs provide a reliable, safe, cost effective and very capable training platform for RAAF Air Combat Officers (ACO’s) who will progress onto operational roles on aircraft types such as the AEW&C, P3 Orion and Super Hornet. Navy Observers also receive their training on King Airs at East Sale.

Hawker Pacific's Senior Vice President, Australian and New Zealand Operations, Doug Park, said that the program has consistently exceeded the performance levels required under the contract which has just been reflected in the high assessments conferred on Hawker Pacific in the recently published DMO Benchmarked Scorecard reports.

"Our team in East Sale, alongside the School of Air Warfare, 32 Squadron and TASPO continue to punch well above their weight. The innovative and pragmatic approach taken by all parties to strive towards a common goal is a key success of the program. The Hybrid Airworthiness system developed and utilised by Hawker Pacific in the support of the fleet is an excellent example of an optimised outcome that can be achieved when all parties work towards a collective and common goal" Mr Park said.

“Military Forces demand and expect the highest levels of service and efficiency for their training and operational needs and Hawker Pacific is proud to be able to provide this innovative service offering, whilst ensuring the customer also receives very good value for their training dollars”, Mr Park added.

Mr Craig Purry, the General Manager of Government Business for Hawker Pacific went on to say “there is a certain irony in having such an efficient, high performing King Air fleet at East Sale, where it consistently achieves better than contracted performance levels, day in and day out. The challenge for us from a business development perspective is that many people in the aviation industry and also within the ADF, are unaware of its very existence”.

Notes to Editors:

1. Hawker Pacific Pty Ltd is the market-leader in integrated civil and military aerospace sales and product support in Australasia. The company maintains facilities in South-East Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East.

2. RAAF Base East Sale is situated approximately 200 km east of Melbourne and accommodates major RAAF training establishments such as the School or Air Warfare and School of Officer Training.