Salaam WanaJambo wenzangu. Naomba kumuunga mkono Pdidy kwamba badala ya kulaumu kuwa tumechukua ndege bomu na badala yake tujaribu kuangalia tatizo ni nini ili tuwasaidie wenzetu walionunua ndege hizo. Kama chakula (10%
ilitolewa tukubali kwamba pesa ishaliwa hivyo tuangalie mbele...
Kwa experience yangu kwenye Aviation Industry in Africa and a stint in the west naomba niweke yafuatayo:
1. Kwa kweli DASH8 ni ndege nzuri sana ukizingatia kwamba viwanja vyetu vingi ni vya changarawe.
2. Precission Air wameweza ku-break even using a fleet of ATR ambazo sio mbaya lakini ukiangalia kile wanachoita "After Sales Service" nadhani De Haviland Canada wapo mbele na "reliable" zaidi. Kingine kwenye hizi Dash8 kwa kweli ni comfort level.
3. Kingine ni kile kinachoitwa elevated/raised main gear and engine positioning. Hapa Dash8 inakidhi mahitaji ya rough operation sababu engine zake zipo juu na pia main gear yake kwa kweli ipo juu ukilinganisha na ile ya rival (at our situation) ATR.
4. Zamani kuna ndege ilikuwa inaitwa Forker Friendship (F27) ambayo kwa kweli ilikuwa top of the range (ATC walikuwa nazo kadhaa). Lakini tatizo ni kwamab jamaa walifunga kampuni hivyo spares zikawa shida. However tujue kwamba bado kuna military operators ambao wanatumia ndege hizi na pia Ethipian Airlines wanaqualified servicing team ya ndege hizi. Sasa kwa vile back up ya hizi Forker ni ya mtaani, nadhani Dash 8 is a prefered aicraft for Tz environment.
5. Kuna hii ndege nyingine ya South America, Embraer (Brazillian Commercial
Jet. Hii sio ndege mbaya lakini hizi katika category anmbayo ATC wanahitaji "Economically" ambazo ni medium sized (40-70pax) hawana "field capable" aicrafts manake wao zao nyingi ni
"Jet Engines" (copmpared to DASH 8 Turboprops)ambazo kwenye viwanja vya changarawe na wale ndege wetu kule KIA na kadhalika kungetusababisha tutumie pesa nyingi kwenye "engine repairs and maintenance". Najua kuna 30-seater EMB120 lakini hii uangalie landing gear yake na capacity (30pax) nadhani ni sababu kubwa kuinondoa kwenye competition.
Sasa turudi kwenye issue ya ubovu wa ndege hizi:
1. Zile mbili used Dash8-300 bwana hizo ni the best in the "medium capacity field capable aircraft - PAX". Nimezunguka mitaani na kwenye nchi kama Kenya utakuta nyingi zinakuwa operated by UN Agencies ambao wanafanya kazi huko Sudan na kwingineko. Haya madege bwana yanakwenda side by side but more comfort is offered with the Eastern Block built aircrafts (Antonovs, Tupolevs, Let410 etc).
2. Pili Dash8-400Q ambayo tumeletewa ni mojawapo ya zile mpya ambazo zimetengenezwa na mmiliki mpya wa Dash8 trade mark, Bombardier (1992). Tatizo kubwa kwenye ndege hizi sio engine, wala mainframe ambayo kwa kweli ni "serius problems" that have already high number of fatalities around the globe (leave aside human errors) due to crashes. Tatizo lake ni kwenye landing gear. Bombardier wameadmit kwamba baada ya 10,000 "landing gear cycles" kuna tatizo sugu kwenye ndege zote za Dash8-400Q (please note kwamba Q is nothing that "Quiet").
Decission to buy them:
1. To me ni kama nilivyosema mwanzo - uzuri wa ndege hizi in first para!
2. Pia siwezi kusema ndege hizi ni the best ever lakini tujue kwamba hata ndege zenye best track records kuna fatality "but the degree is the difference"...... Boeing 777 and Airbus A340 may be the best track recorded aircraft safety lakini tukumbuke hizi zimekuwa kwenye service for about 10 years. So sidhani kama safety ilitukima hivyo naomba nisiliangalie hili niishie kwenye operational and economical benefits.
Naona nimeongea sana na kwenye kuchapa nadhani nimekosea spelling here and there lakini nadhani message imefika panapotakiwa. Hivyo naomba ndugu zangu WanaJambo na WaTanzania kwa ujumla badala ya kuanza kuangalia safety records and recalls of DASH 8s based on "isolated incidences" tukae chini na kuangalia jinsi ya kulifanya shirika letu liende mbele. Mfano halisi jana nikiwa naangalia BBC wakati Mugabe anatua Ureno aliingia na mchuma wa Air Zimbabwe (B737 - guess what, series 230, old eeh wapi bwana inatwanga mashine ile mwanangu)!!! Nategemea na sisi ATC ikiwa mahali pake JK na wengine wengi to come inabidi watie timu JFK na "Twiga Mkimbiaji" (new logo) and make all of us
PROUD!!!!!
Naomba kuwakilisha!!!!!