|
|
|
|
     |
 |
|
|
Transavia PL12 Airtruk ZKCVB
Topdressing pilot Bert Gregory in the cockpit of ‘his’ Airtruk ZK-CVB. Photo courtesy of Bert Gregory.
The Airtruk was based on an earlier design called the Airtruck. In the late 1950s two Te Kuiti men set out to produce a purpose-built topdressing aircraft in New Zealand. They hired Italian-born aircraft designer Luigi Pellarini from Australia to design an aircraft that would make use of a large number of Harvard parts they had collected. This design was the PL11 Airtruck. They hoped it would be the first commercially-produced aircraft in New Zealand, however, due to problems with Civil Aviation certification, only two were ever built.
MOTAT’s Airtruk ZK-CVB landing. Photo by A. C. Jonkers, courtesy of Bert Gregory.
Date: 1966 Manufacturer: Transavia Corporation Pty Ltd, Seven Hills, NSW, Australia Type: Topdressing aircraft Wing span: 12.15 metres (39 ft 10 in) Length: 6.35 metres (20 ft 10 in) Engine: One 285HP Rolls Royce Continental 10-52-A engine Accommodation: One pilot
Back to Aviation Collection Main Page
|
|
For
more information, including current events and exhibitions, call the MOTAT
Info line 0800 MOTAT NZ (0800 668286)! |
|
ZK-CVB
was one of several of these Australian topdressing aircraft imported
into New Zealand by topdressers Barr Brothers in the 1960s. The Airtruk
immediately displayed severe design problems, the worst being stalling
without warning and plummeting to the ground. Over eighty modifications
were made in New Zealand to turn the Airtruk into a safe and efficient
aircraft. ZK-CVB was the prototype for these modifications, which went
on to be made on all other Airtruks.
Luigi
Pellarini went on to design the PL12 Airtruk, which you can see here. An
unusual looking aircraft, it was purely designed around its function as
a topdresser. In the end the Airtruk became a very efficient aircraft,
with the capability of dropping large loads in a short time.