Gippsland Aeronautics aims even higher
Air Safaris flies a lineup of four Airvans and three Nomads, all supported by Gippsland Aeronautics.
Gippsland Aeronautics (GA) is negotiating with a potential equity partner as it prepares for expansion into new markets.
Airvan also now has Argentinean certification, with a demonstrator now sold to its distributor Aerotec in Mendoza, Argentina.
Co-founding director George Morgan says that although the equity deal is not yet over the line, the new potential partner is a large overseas multinational which has equity in companies all over the world, and which specialises in technologies.
The Latrobe Valley based manufacturer has won certification for the turbocharged variant of its eight-seat utility GA8 Airvan in Europe and the USA, and is already building a prototype turboprop GA10, says Morgan:
“The GA10 is under construction. The fuselage is being built; it’s stretched to 10 seats with extension plugs both forward and aft of the wing. The nose is a little longer, but not forward of the firewall; we’ve shifted the whole cockpit forward.
“The aircraft will be powered by the later and higher powered version of the Rolls Royce 250B 17F, which delivers 510 maximum thermal shaft horsepower but it will probably be down-rated at about 420. MTOW goes to 4,700 lb, so structural certification is a complete ‘start over again’ exercise.
“With the turbocharged Airvan now certified in all the major certification countries, it’s starting to move in the marketplace. We’re now in the final stages of developing a camera/surveillance version of that aircraft that can be used for controlling fires – an airborne platform that can overlay infrared images of fires to be used for controlling fires by reporting back to the ground, showing where the fire trucks and firefighters are deployed, so the control centre can see that situation continuously in real time, or they can control the whole thing from the aeroplane. The same data can also be directed live straight onto the TV networks as well, so people in threatened locations can see in real time where the fire front is, the escape routes, the works! That version is just about finished now.”
The turbocharged Airvan is already in demand from “hot and high” operators including parachute tourism companies and Papua New Guinea charter carriers, and Morgan says there is also strong market pressure for a floatplane version: “That program’s under way in a low key way at the moment with Wipline, who are actually designing the float fittings for it. The GA-10 obviously has similar potential for floatplane development, both straight float and amphibian, and GA expects to be able to meet both markets.”
Missionary Aviation Fellowship are now operating 16 Airvans in Northern Australia; they are in service in PNG, Aceh, East Timor, Cambodia (17 aircraft), and the USA’s Civil Air Patrol, a part of the United States Air Force, are operating 16 aircraft. Current production rate is about 1.5 Airvans a month, but Morgan says GA has the capability to increase that even in the short term to four aircraft a month: “I would hope that will happen but it depends on the world market. With this new partner coming on board they’re going to fund serous marketing; we’ve never had any marketing much in the past.”
GA is now also firmly established in its Nomad product support role which it took over from Boeing. GA now holds all the necessary parts manufacturing approvals, and is preparing to build new Nomads in response to strong market interest, says Morgan:
“About 60 sixteen passenger twin turboprop Nomads are supported worldwide in five countries, and interest is quite high. We have people who want to place orders for new Nomads, and you may find it quite surprising but the people who have them quite love them and have been operating them profitably for years.
“As one example Richard Raywood’s Air Safaris at Lake Tekapo in New Zealand operates three Nomad 24s, along with four GA8 Airvans; their operation is quite successful and they’re making good money.
“The version that goes back into production will be an upgrade. The STOL system has already been modified and had some of its of flexibility engineered out of it, but for some buyers the effectiveness of the STOL (short takeoff & landing) capability is the reason they buy it.”
It’s great to hear that Gipps Aero are doing so well. The most disgusting thing about this article is that they have had to go overseas to find a partner. How long before another great Aussie idea becomes someone elses.