Gippsland GA8
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| GA8 Airvan | |
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| Type | Utility aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Gippsland Aeronautics |
| Maiden flight | 1996 |
| Introduced | December 2000 |
| Primary user | United States Civil Air Patrol. |
| Produced | 2000–present |
The Gippsland GA8 or Airvan is a single-engined utility aircraft manufactured by Gippsland Aeronautics of Victoria, Australia. It can seat eight including one pilot. The aircraft was designed to fill a market gap perceived by the manufacturers between the Cessna 206 and Caravan models.[1] It is used in various roles, including passenger service, freight, sightseeing, parachuting, observation, and search & rescue.
More than 100 Airvans have been produced and delivered as of March 2007.
A floatplane version has been considered by the manufacturer but is awaiting certification of a more powerful turbocharged engine. [2]
A turbocharged version of the aircraft has been planned since 2004. In October 2006 Gippsland Aeronautics announced that the turbocharged prototype aircraft has commenced flight testing. The chosen engine is the Lycoming TIO 540 AH1A, which is a turbocharged version of the currently installed powerplant.
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[edit] Specifications
General characteristics
- Capacity: Internal Volume: 180 ft3
Floor Area: 54 ft2 - Length: 8.9m (29'4") ()
- Wingspan: 12.4m (40'9") ()
- Height: 3.9m (12'9") ()
- Empty weight: 997 kg (2200 lb) ()
- Max takeoff weight: 1814 kg (4000 lb) ()
- Powerplant: × Lycoming I0-540-K1A5, () each
- Usable Fuel Capacity (Wings): 332 l (87.7 USG)
- Wheel Track: 2.8m (9'2")
Performance
- Maximum speed: 185 KIAS
- Cruise speed: 118 KTAS @ 56 l/hr (14.8 USG/hr) at 4,000 ft
- Range: 930nm (9hr) ()
- Rate of climb: 787 ft/min (ISA Sea Level) ()
- More
- Economic Cruise @ 8000': 104 KTAS @ 37 l/hr (9.8 USG/hr)
- Takeoff Performance Distance to 50ft: @ 2700 RPM - 487m (1548 ft)
- Landing Performance from 50ft: 371m (1218 ft)
[edit] Operators
- The United States Civil Air Patrol operates 18 Airvans for Search and Rescue operations, of which 16 carry the Airborne Real-time Cueing Hyperspectral Enhanced Reconnaissance (ARCHER) system, which can be used to search for aircraft wreckage based on its spectral signature.
- Mission Aviation Fellowship Australia operates eleven Airvans, providing air-transport services in developing countries. [3]
- The Lesotho Defence Forces for supply flights to small airfields.
- German regional airline Ostfriesische Lufttransport [4]
- TGS Air Charter Service [5]
- Air Fraser Island [6]
[edit] Sources
[edit] External links
- Gippsland Aeronautics Official Site Beware noisy Flash animation.
- CASA Australia Type Certificate and Type Certificate Data Sheet
- FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet
- Specs & Photo at Flugzeuginfo.net
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