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Gippsland Aeronautics, based at Latrobe Regional Airport in eastern Victoria, is a leader in Australia’s emerging aircraft manufacturing industry.
The company manufactures two highly efficient and successful general aviation aircraft, the GA200, an aerial application aircraft, and the GA8 Airvan, a utility transport aircraft. Both types have been designed specifically to meet particular market needs.
The development of these two aircraft types from first principles, their certification to international air safety standards, volume manufacture and marketing on an international scale by a small, regional based, private company has been an achievement unparalleled in Australia aviation history.
The company commenced operations at the Latrobe Regional Airport in 1977 as an aircraft maintenance and modification business working for organizations, such as the National Safety Council and Esso, as well as local commercial, private and agricultural aircraft operators.
The modification of agricultural aircraft, to improve capability and safety, marked the beginnings of Gippsland Aeronautics aircraft design and manufacturing business. From its experience in this area the company decided to certify it’s own agricultural aircraft design.
The resulting GA200 achieved Australian CAA certification in 1991, followed by US certification in 1997. The GA200, a highly efficient agricultural delivery aircraft, is able to lift 40 to 50% more payload per flight for similar direct operating costs than earlier generation agricultural aircraft of the same engine power. The GA200 design incorporates unique dispersal features that enhance the aircraft’s aerial application role
This aircraft also contains many innovative features in terms of safety and performance improvements over existing agricultural aircraft. To date, 45 GA200 aircraft have been manufactured, 28 of which have been exported to countries throughout the world including China, New Zealand, USA, Canada, Brazil and South Africa. The GA200 marked the company’s entry into the international market place.
The company’s second design the eight-seat GA8 Airvan was conceived as a utility transport to replace the worlds aging fleet of light utility aircraft. The company saw the potential niche market for a piston powered aircraft that could carry more passengers than the existing types, without incurring capital and operating expenses of a turbine powered aircraft which were clearly beyond the reach of most small operators.
Design of the GA8 Airvan commenced in 1993 with the building of the first prototype aircraft. After seven years in development, the Airvan gained Australian Type Certification in December 2000, US and Canadian certification being achieved in May 2003 and European certification in August 2005.
The Airvan, whilst appearing little different to other General Aviation aeroplanes on the surface, is a very modern aircraft in its design and systems and meets the world’s highest airworthiness certification standards being certificated by international airworthiness agencies, including the Aviation Authorities of Australia, the USA, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa, and Europe, to the most modern and most stringent airworthiness standard applicable to this class of aircraft.
These standards demand increased safety measures not required by the standards to which the previous generation of light aircraft were designed. The new standards required Gippsland Aeronautics to conceive, develop and prove solutions that no other manufacturer had ever had to meet. Of particular note, Gippsland Aeronautics was the first to develop and certify a seat system to new crashworthiness standards. While other compliant seats are now available, the Gippsland Aeronautics Safety Seats are still the lightest and cheapest and seats are being sold internationally to other aircraft manufacturers.
Developed to handle the grueling conditions of the Australian outback, the Airvan is ideal for operators in remote areas around the world. The Airvan is capable of operating on short; semi prepared airstrips. Further, the aircraft was designed for maintenance using very basic workshop facilities.
The Airvan is an extremely versatile aircraft capable of operating in many roles.
Passengers find the Airvan has features that ensure passenger comfort, safety and enjoyment of the flight. These include the ease of boarding through the double width passenger entry door and the wide body cabin with a centre aisle, the large panoramic window for each passenger.
Operators find that the Airvan is also an excellent freight carrying aircraft. The large cabin door allows for easy loading of freight into the cabin, which is twice the size of competing aircraft. Further the cabin has a large flat floor and unique seat and cargo restraint systems that facilitate rapid changes from passenger to freight configurations as well as facilitating mixed passenger and freight operations.
The Airvan is also an excellent platform for observation, survey and surveillance flights. The large cabin permits the carriage of advanced electronic and optical sensing systems for a number of such tasks. The Airvan is also highly sought after as a parachute jump ship due to the above features.
The Airvan has found a place in humanitarian aid work and in the provision air services to remote communities in many countries
Gippsland Aeronautics has achieved export sales of the Airvan to Belize, Botswana, Canada, Costa Rica, Germany, Holland, Indonesia, Lesotho, Mozambique, New Caledonia, New Guinea, New Zealand, South Africa, Tanzania, the UK and the USA together with in-country sales in Western Australia, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania South Australia and the Northern Territory. The company has recently completed extensive sales demonstration tours in Southern Africa and South America.
A major feather in the Company’s cap was the order from the United States Air Force Auxiliary, the Civil Air Patrol, for 16 Airvans for Search and Rescue and Homelands Security duties. CAP used their Airvan fleet extensively in the post Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. Another major customer is the Mission Aviation Fellowship of Australia (MAF) that uses the Airvan for remote indigenous community transport, for mission and humanitarian aid work in Australia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.
To date the company has built 100 Airvans. Airvans presently come off the production line at the rate of two per month. With recent improvements in facilities, process and this rate is set to progressively increase to meet demand.
Having established the base model GA8 Airvan in the international market place, Gippsland Aeronautics has commenced a number of market-driven product development programs to enhance the utility and capability of the type in accordance with customer requirements. These programs range from very minor items, to major items such as the range of engine options likely to power future variants of the Airvan. Due to the flexibility and development potential of the Airvan airframe the list of projects is quite extensive.
The company has become a major employer in the Latrobe Region with 110 employees now on the payroll. The outlook for significant increases in this number is good as worldwide sales of the Airvan continue to increase. The company also has an apprenticeship program with eight apprentices currently under training.
Gippsland Aeronautics exports a world quality product. From perceiving the niche market for this class of aircraft, through the rigors of research, development, testing, certification, establishment of manufacture, and sales to an expanding international market, the company’s story has been an outstanding example of vision, determination and dedication by all involved.
Gippsland Aeronautics is developing a new industry, which is bringing economic benefit to the Latrobe Valley and providing real jobs for Victorians and incremental export earnings for Australia.
Gippsland Aeronautics, as tenants of the Latrobe Regional Airport Board, has an excellent working relationship with Latrobe City Council. A Company demonstrator Airvan proudly wears the Latrobe City Logo on its tail fin taking the Councils message a “Latrobe City - A New Energy in Aviation” to all parts of Australia and as far a field as Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.
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