GippsAero GA8 Airvan
GA8 Airvan | |
---|---|
Gippsland Aeronautics GA8 Airvan 8 | |
Role | Utility aircraft/Transport |
National origin | Australia |
Manufacturer | GippsAero |
First flight | 3 March 1995 |
Introduction | December 2000 |
Primary user | United States Civil Air Patrol |
Produced | 2000–2020[1] |
Number built | 262 |
Variants | Gippsland GA10
|
The GippsAero GA8 Airvan 8 is a single-engined
The GA8 has been designed for use in remote areas and from austere air strips, performing tasks such as passenger services, freight, sightseeing, parachuting, observation, and
Since its introduction, improved models featuring more powerful engines have been introduced; an enlarged
In November 2020, the Indian conglomerate Mahindra, which had purchased the company, announced that production would cease at that time, citing the financial effects of the global economic slowdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1]
In November 2023 GippsAero's cofounder, George Morgan, re-purchased the company and announced his intentions to resume production of the Airvan 8.[2]
Development
According to aviation publication
The GA8 has been used in various roles, including passenger services, freight, sightseeing, parachuting, observation, and search and rescue operations. It has been designed for use in remote areas and from austere air strips.[4]
A
On 8 July 2010, the GA8-TC320 Airvan became the first Australian designed and manufactured aircraft to circumnavigate the Earth. Piloted by Kenneth Evers and Timothy Pryse, the circumnavigational flight was recognised by Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI), the world’s governing body for air sports and aeronautical world records, as an official circumnavigation in accordance with FAI rules. The pilots were awarded the Des Kelly Special Achievement Award, and on 31 March 2011, Australian Flying recognised the flight as a first in Australian aviation history.
A
During 2005, a floatplane model of the GA8 underwent evaluation.[7] In 2011, the company announced that it was preparing to put the float-equipped model of the GA8 into production in partnership with American aviation float manufacturer Wipaire.[8]
In December 2010, a
In September 2012, the company announced that Soloy Aviation Solutions had been appointed as a GA8 component distributor for the US market.[9] During November 2012, West Coast Aviation Services was appointed as an authorised dealer of the aircraft itself.[10] In January 2013, a second US company, Summit Aviation, became an authorised dealer of the GA8 in the US market; Sumit reportedly planned to focus on government and surveillance aircraft sales.[11]
At EAA Oshkosh 2014, the GA8 Airvan was renamed Mahindra Airvan 8; this rebranding is a reflection of GippsAero's recent acquisition by Indian conglomerate Mahindra Group. At the event, a company spokesperson announced that plans were underway to establish a new assembly line to produce the aircraft in North America.[12][13] Mahindra has also undertaken substantial investments into its Australian facilities for the purpose of expanding its production capacity.[14][15]
Design
The Mahindra Airvan 8 is an eight-seat
The aircraft has a configuration similar to the
Dedicated configurations are available for
The airframe and onboard systems are designed for durability and simplicity.[4] The spring suspended tricycle undercarriage is oil-free; no fuel selectors have to be managed with the 92.2 gallon (349 liters) wing tanks feeding a single sump tank under the cabin floor. The simple wing has mechanically actuated flaps.[4] The wings are rated for 92,000 hours; the lowest lifetime structural fitting, the aft vertical stabilizer fitting, have to be replaced at 15,000 hours. Avionics include a Garmin G500 multi-function display, Garmin GTN750 and 650 touchscreen satellite navigation units, and backup analog instruments.[4]
Variants
- GA8
- Production version with a Textron Lycoming IO-540-K1A5 engine.
- GA8-TC-320
- Variant with a turbocharged Textron Lycoming TIO-540-AH1A engine.
Operators
228 Airvan 8s were in service as of July 2019.[16]
Civil
The GA8 is popular with air charter companies, skydiving operators and small feeder air carriers. Larger operators include the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) which flies 18 Airvans for search and rescue operations. They are also used in CAP for long range disaster response and relief as well as airborne damage assessment missions. Mission Aviation Fellowship Australia operates 11 Airvans, providing air-transport services in developing countries.[17] Mission Aviation Fellowship Suriname operates three Airvans.[18] Operators include the following:
- Aeroclubul Romaniei (Romanian National Airclub), Romania
- Air Fraser Island, Australia
- Air Kimberley, Australia
- Fly Broome, Australia
- True South Flights, New Zealand
- Glenorchy Air, New Zealand
- California Highway Patrol
- Circle Air, Iceland[19]
- Golden Bay Air, New Zealand[20]
- OFD Ostfriesischer-Flug-Dienst, Germany
Military
Accidents and incidents
On 14 July 2019, a GA8 Airvan of Skydive Umeå crashed on the island of Storsandskär,
The grounding order was issued on 20 July and was due to run until 3 August, but was lifted early as CASA found there is no evidence for an unsafe condition, and the EASA said the wrecked aircraft had been exposed to aerodynamic loads beyond certification.[25]Specifications
Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 2003–2004[26]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Capacity: Seven passengers
- Length: 8.95 m (29 ft 4 in)
- Wingspan: 12.28 m (40 ft 3 in)
- Height: 3.89 m (12 ft 9 in)
- Wing area: 19.32 m2 (208.0 sq ft)
- Aspect ratio: 7.9:1
- Empty weight: 997 kg (2,198 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 1,814 kg (3,999 lb)
- Fuel capacity: 340 L (74.8 Imp Gallons)
- Powerplant: 1 × flat-six, 220 kW (300 hp)
- Propellers: 2-bladed Hartzell F8475R constant speed propeller
Performance
- Maximum speed: 241 km/h (150 mph, 130 kn) at 1,525 m (5,000 ft)
- Cruise speed: 222 km/h (138 mph, 120 kn) at 3,050 m (10,000 ft)
- Stall speed: 97 km/h (60 mph, 52 kn) (flaps down)
- Range: 1,352 km (840 mi, 730 nmi)
- Endurance: Six hours
- Service ceiling: 6,100 m (20,000 ft)
- Rate of climb: 4.00 m/s (788 ft/min)
See also
Related development
- Gippsland GA10
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
- Cessna 206
- Cessna 208
- Gavilán G358
References
- ^ a b "GippsAero Airvan Gets the Axe". Plane & Pilot. 24 November 2020.
- ^ "Co-Founder buys Mahindra out of GippsAero - Australian Flying". www.australianflying.com.au. Australian Flying. 30 November 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g Wallace, Lane (7 May 2005). "Caravan-Lite: Gippsland GA-8 Airvan". Flying Magazine. Archived from the original on 4 December 2008. Retrieved 15 February 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Thurber, Matt (1 March 2014). "Pilot Report: GippsAero Airvan Delivers Utility in a Fun To Fly Package". AIN Online.
- ^ "GA web site". Gippsaero.com. Archived from the original on 16 February 2011. Retrieved 15 February 2011.
- ^ a b "GippsAero's GA10 project on track". Australian Flying. 3 March 2011. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
- ^ "GA News Media Archives". Gipps Aero. 6 May 2005. Archived from the original on 16 February 2011.
- ^ Kelly, Emma (5 January 2011). "Gippsland prepares to float turbocharged Airvan". Flight International.
- ^ "GippsAero selects Soloy for GA8 Airvan support in USA". Flight International. 27 September 2012.
- ^ Waldron, Greg (27 November 2012). "GippsAero appoints West Coast Aviation as GA8 Airvan distributor". Flight International.
- ^ Waldron, Greg (24 January 2013). "GippsAero appoints Summit Aviation as GA8 dealer in USA". Flight International.
- ^ "Mahindra floats US assembly for rebranded Airvan". FlightGlobal. 30 July 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- ^ Sarsfield, Kate (16 August 2012). "GippsAero selects Soloy for GA8 final assembly in North America". Flight International.
- ^ "Mahindra GippsAero GA8 TC 320 Airvan makes maiden landing in Mumbai". India Infoline News Service. 21 February 2011.
- ^ Sarsfield, Kate (22 July 2010). "Mahindra invests in GippsAero subsidiary". Flight International.
- ^ Cox, Lisa (21 July 2019). "More than 60 Australian-made planes grounded after fatal crash in Sweden". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
- ^ "MAF web-page". Maf.org.au. 5 May 2010. Retrieved 15 February 2011.
- ^ "Starnieuws - Deira neemt voorzitterschap MAF over van Schalkwijk".
- ^ "Circle Air".
- ^ "Golden Bay Air".
- ^ "GippsAero". GippsAero. 18 March 2004. Archived from the original on 16 February 2011. Retrieved 15 February 2011.
- ^ Westin, Adam; Tronarp, Gustaf; Jamshidi, Jamshid; Toll, Michael; Laneby, Sebastien (14 July 2019). "Flygplan har kraschat utanför Umeå – nio personer döda" [Aircraft has crashed near Umeå - nine people dead]. Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 19 July 2019.
- ^ "CASA Australia and EASA ground GA-8 Airvan following a recent accident in Sweden". Aviation Safety Network. 19 July 2019. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
- New Zealand Herald. 20 July 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
- ^ Sarsfield, Kate (29 July 2019). "Regulators lift Airvan 8 grounding". Flightglobal.
- ISBN 978-0-7106-2537-3. p. 6.