Prior to entering service with a UK police force, a Britten Norman Islander has received a new style of utility interior from broker and maintenance provider Wessex Aerospace. The Australian-designed aeroplastics interior is the first of its kind, reckons Wessex’s Brian Powell.

“The Islander over the years has suffered from unimaginative interiors. Our work features a plastic hardwall and side panels, and we put in new door trims, window trims and light assemblies. It’s available in a range of colours,” he said.

The police force contract was awarded in February 2001, and the Kydex interior is now being promoted by Wessex Aerospace for the sum of £12,000, plus installation. Powell says the tag is roughly a third of the cost of a standard Islander interior. aircraft can be retroffitted with just part of the kit on an ad-hoc basis, by mixing, for example, the new-style window surrounds with the existing interior fitted to an operator’s aircraft.

The interior was approved on the nod by the UK CAA, reports Powell; it is made from materials already approved for airliner interiors.

Since its installation, the Islander has been used as a “flying advertisement” for the interior: “We showed the aeroplane to a few people here and overseas, and they have all made encouraging noises – whether any of them part with any money remians to be seen – but we are hopeful that a few of them will convert from the standard factory-fitted interior.”

The Islander in question was acquired three years ago from Malaysia as part of a pair by Wessex. It has done flown 1,500 hours, and Wessex has recently completed a 1,000 hour service bulletin. It was formerly used to carry tourists from Malaysian airports to up-market holiday resorts – a function no longer required since the economy of South East Asia suffered a downturn. The second Islander went to Antigua, again carrying tourists off to Carribean resorts.

The new interior will actually be removed before delivery, to make way for computer surveillance equipment. “The Islander will fly with a northern English police force, in a covert role – catching the bad guys. It’ll work in conjunction with the helicopters they use up there. Helicopters are fine, but they can’t stay in the air long, and the twin engine Islander is well suited to urban law enforcement,” said Powell.

“There are an awful lot of second hand aeroplanes on the market. The factory’s diffiulties have made no difference to us at all. We have found there is a big need for support of the aeroplanes, and that is what we have been doign for about 27 years. Our main role is parts support, keeping the 850-odd active aircraft going. We are one of the few non-factory-approved centres that can call ourselves specialists,” he said.

Wessex also act as a broker for other types of twin-engine aircraft. They have a Skyvan and five Fokker 27s, from places as diverse as Indonesia, Tanzania, the USA.

Powell began wworking on Islanders a company in 1978. “In 1990 I stopped making everybody else rich and started making myself poor,” he laughed.

“It’s always a struggle, every time you make any money, you invariably end up spending it on new stocks.” Wessex claims to be the largest independent stockist of Islander parts in the world. “They used to build Islanders in the Phillipines, and we went out there earlier this year to PADC, and bought their entire stock, including 16 shipped sets.