Gippsland’s GA8 AIRVAN

By Graeme Mollison.

Dave Wheatland from the Aircraft Sales Division of Australian company Gippsland Aeronautics recently flew a new Airvan GA8 across the Tasman for a demonstration tour of New Zealand. As Dave visited existing Airvan customers around the country and demonstrated the aircraft to potential new ones, Graeme Mollison took the opportunity to catch up with him in Tauranga and to fly the Airvan himself.

Gippsland Aeronautics has been around a lot longer than some might realise. Starting out as an aircraft maintenance and modification business some 30 years ago, it branched out into the aircraft manufacturing arena in the mid to late 80s after being asked by agricultural aircraft operators to design an aircraft with better lifting and handling capabilities than the aircraft they were using at the time. In response, the company developed its GA200 agricultural aircraft, which received Australian Civil Aviation Authority certification in 1991. Otherwise known as the “Fatman”, the GA200 was a development of Piper’s “slimmer” Pawnee.

It wasn’t long before these Aussie innovators realised that the wing they had developed for the GA200 had sufficient lifting capacity to suit an aircraft capable of carrying 8 people—and bags. Identifying a gap in the market between the six-seat Cessna 206 and the ten-seat Cessna Caravan, the company commenced research into a new design and the “proof-of-concept” GA8 Airvan made its first flight in March 1995.

Dave Wheatland was at the controls of ship number one in February 1996 when, during spin testing, the aircraft became unrecoverable and was destroyed—thankfully, only after Dave had safely bailed out. The loss of the first aircraft caused some delay in the GA8’s development and resulted in the redesign of its fin and rudder, which, on the production aircraft are taller and the chord greater. The Airvan was finally certified by the Australian Civil Aviation Authority to FAR23 in October 2000.

The efficiency of the GA8 design allowed it to be powered by the same 300 hp Lycoming IO-540-K six-cylinder engine as used in the GA200 and in order to save costs, several other items from the -200 were used on the Airvan including engine installation, propeller, wheels, brakes and instruments. Perhaps the most important item was the modified GA200 wing, with the GA8 wing utilising the same jigs, spar sizes, ailerons and flap hinges. Providing lift rather than speed was the primary concern, as a cruise speed of 120 kt is probably adequate for the roles in which the Airvan would be deployed.

I caught up with Dave and the Airvan in Tauranga, where he was paying local operator Sunair Aviation Ltd a visit, the aircraft attracting some attention whilst parked outside the company’s hangar.

I am sure the folk at Cessna must cringe every time the Airvan is referred to as some kind of mini-Caravan, but unfortunately, that is the term that springs to mind when asked to describe it. It has that same boxy construction that makes the most of the interior space available and, in the case of the Airvan, provides seating for seven adult passengers plus the pilot.

Safe and Functional

Competing with the more expensive Cessna 206, the GA8 has around 75% more cabin volume and has two more revenue seats. It is deceptive, as it is not until you take a look inside the cabin that you realise just how much space there is. Entry is gained via a large easy-to-operate sliding cabin door on the port side. This door can be opened in flight, should the aircraft be used for parachuting or supply dropping. A small boarding ladder assists in making the step up into the cabin, where a central aisle between the two abreast seating assists in reaching any seat in the cabin with relative ease.

The cabin floor height from the ground is conveniently similar to that of most small utility vehicles, ideal for when the aircraft is used in the freight configuration.

As Dave carried out a preflight inspection, we had a chat about some of the features and items of interest on the Airvan.

As the GA8 is a new aircraft, it has had to comply with the very latest airworthiness requirements. This included increased occupant safety demands, requiring passengers in the GA8 to be able to survive a 21G horizontal and 18G vertical impact, significantly more stringent than the previous 9G static load that the majority of General Aviation aircraft in operation have had to comply with. To do this, Gippsland designed seats that are known as “passive” in that they do not require any form of mechanical, hydraulic or electrical systems to operate in an accident situation. In the case of vertical or horizontal impact, they crumple, reducing the risk of lumbar and thoracic injury. The seats are comfortable and are fitted with three-point belt restraints similar to a car. Inertia reels prevent upper body movement and reduce the risk of head injury in an impact.

Legroom and headroom are adequate, and the overall “experience” is certainly an improvement over the C206 and C207, especially if one is seated towards the rear. Large windows ensure every passenger gets an unobstructed view. The pilot enters the aircraft through his/her own door, which can be pinned fully forward, but still released when seated in the cockpit. Gippsland have put a lot of thought and effort into the “little” things that, to pilots and engineers, can be big things. For instance, to a pilot working on his/her own without ground staff support, a flat battery can be quite a hassle; however, Gippsland has located the ground power plug-in point just below the pilot’s entry door, meaning that the aircraft can be started, the pilot can reach down, pull the plug out and taxi off…no leaving the cockpit unattended with the engine running.

There is also a forward entry door on the starboard side, and both crew seats are fitted with a four-point harness due to their proximity to the instrument panel and control column. The control column itself comes out of the floor like an airliner (unless you fly an Airbus, of course) rather than from out of the instrument panel. Again, Gippsland has decided there is a good reason for this, as it removes all the control cables etc from behind the instrument panel, removing the issues of plumbing and electrical wiring getting mixed up with control systems, and increasing ease of maintenance. Without labouring the point, you really get the impression that this aircraft has been designed and built by working people to WORK. “Easy access and maintenance is the key,” Dave explained. “Items such as wiring and control cables have been plumbed in such a manner as to provide that ease of access.” There is no chance of an oleo going flat out in the Australian outback (or on a remote Westland strip), as the main gear is a steel spring design (similar to that used on Cessna and other designs), and the nose gear incorporates a solid coil spring with hydraulic dampening and is connected directly to the rudder.

The air inlet system is designed such that it allows more air in during the climb and less during the cruise, thus acting like “automatic cowl flaps”.

A two-blade Hartzell propeller was chosen, as it gave the performance required in the initial acceleration and climb phase of flight. Like the 300hp Lycoming, it has a 2,000 hour TBO.

The fuselage, including the windscreen itself, is interesting in that it forms part of the lifting section, providing around 15% of the total lift of the aircraft.

The construction of the GA8 is rugged yet simple, and everything you need to look at is easy to access. The ailerons are intentionally reasonably large to ensure good control is maintained at slow speed in gusty conditions. The flaps are mechanically operated, and have 0, 14 and 38 degree settings.

With the walk-a-round complete, Dave pointed out the sealed, no-maintenance battery located under the pilot’s seat. Forward of this is a row of circuit breakers, which when pulled, completely isolates the electrical system to the rest of the aircraft and, in the event of an accident, significantly reduces the risk of fire.

I sat myself down in the left seat and Dave climbed into the right to give me a brief on what we would be doing and a run down on the systems incorporated into the GA8.

Being fitted with a split-bus 14 volt electrical system with dual master switches and dual avionics switches ensures that an electrical fault will only shut down half the system, providing increased redundancy over previous systems.

The fuel system has also been designed with simplicity and ease of operation in mind. There are no selectors; the system is normally on and is fully automatic. A red “Emergency Stop” handle is located on the left side of the instrument panel and, when pulled, shuts off fuel at the firewall.

The aircraft is fitted with a Bendix King avionics package, which includes a colour multifunction GPS moving map display as standard. This would allow us to monitor our position in relation to the airspace boundaries as we headed out towards Papamoa.

Before-start checks completed, a momentary prime to assist and the Lycoming springs into life. Dave completes the after-start checks and we call for a taxi clearance.

With a 15 kt headwind, just the two of us on board and around “half tanks”, the GA8 was airborne within just a few hundred metres, well short of the published 457m to 50 ft in the Gippsland performance specifications at its maximum takeoff weight of 1,814 kg. Climbing at reduced power to be kinder to the engine, it took us three minutes to reach 2,000 feet.

Dave had carried out the takeoff and handed over control early in the climb.

It has been a while since I have been at the controls of anything lighter than 50 tonnes and Dave was watching, with some amusement, the intense concentration as I endeavoured to fly the Airvan smoothly and accurately. It soon got the better of him and in a very diplomatic fashion, he passed the comment: “You know, Graeme, the biggest mistake people make in this machine is they try too hard to fly it.” He was right and within a few minutes, I had settled in and was reaping the rewards. A few medium turns followed by a few steep turns, then steeper turns—the Airvan was an absolute delight. With excellent visibility, nicely balanced controls and comfortable positioning of the throttle quadrant, it was easy to fly this aircraft accurately, even after such a short time.

Slowing to 60 kt with the assistance of some flap, the controls were still very effective and the aircraft remained pleasant to fly as we carried out some turns in both directions. The visibility out the large side windows was outstanding, and having been involved in search and observation flying in the past, I would have to definitely rate this aircraft’s suitability for these tasks. It came as no surprise then when Dave reported that there had been 15 aircraft sold to the Civil Air Patrol in the United States and interest from various government agencies.

The Airvan was slowed further to the onset of the stall. It remained fully controllable and docile throughout. With flaps set at 38 degrees and at MAUW, stall speed is 52 KIAS; we were lighter, so the speed settled back into the 40s.

Cleaning up to the cruise configuration, 75% power had the airspeed indicator hovering around 130 kt. With 332 litres of usable fuel, Gippsland state that at 67% power, the GA8 will cruise at 120 KTAS for 6 hours / 730 nm (nil reserves) or 9 hours / 933 nm at 48% (104 KTAS).

Heading back to the airfield, Dave took control to talk me through an approach with a touch and go landing. It was easy to see where Dave’s background in aviation lay. As he dropped the Airvan in over the threshold close to the stall, we touched down in the first metre or two of the strip; power on and we were airborne again almost immediately. Had we carried out a full stop landing, there is no doubt Dave would have had that Airvan stopped in about a third of the advertised 396 m (at MAUW)! An impressive max angle climb and early turn cross-wind to allow a Beech 1900D to depart off the main runway saw us enter the downwind midway along the field. Dave handed over control as we accelerated smoothly to around 120 kt, demonstrating the aircraft’s flexibility to fit with the busy regional airport environment as well as the remote Outback. Turning base, a 500 ft/min descent was set up, very little power being required, given our light weight to keep the speed reducing and the descent rate stable. Crossing “the fence” with the speed at 60 kt, I closed the throttle and with a little backpressure, the Airvan settled nicely on to the main wheels. With the assistance of a reasonable headwind, the Airvan was brought to a stop within around 250 metres with little braking.

Alas, time was up as Dave had aircraft to sell. It was all over too quickly. The Airvan was an absolute joy to fly. It has been well thought out, is practical and safe, and I look forward to Dave’s next visit so maybe we can do some more Airvan flying?

What the Operators Think

One hour in the Airvan hardly makes one an expert! The best way to find out what it is like “out on the line” is to talk to a few of the local operators. There are currently six GA8 Airvans plying New Zealand skies in some quite diverse and challenging environments.

Sounds Air’s ZK-KLC can be regularly seen battling Wellington’s fierce conditions as it makes its crossings of the Cook Strait to Koromiko, near Picton. Managing Director Andrew Crawford indicated that his pilots seem to prefer the Cessna 206 (also in the Sounds Air fleet) to fly, as they consider it to be more stable in turbulence; however, from a company perspective, the Airvan has been reliable and efficient, carrying six passengers and their luggage in an environment which sees their C206 limited to just four passengers and luggage. The limitation of the Airvan for Sounds Air has been the fact that it cannot be used for Air Transport Operations in IFR conditions (nor can their C206).

This is not an issue for the largest operator of the type in New Zealand, Tekapo-based Air Safaris, whose scenic operations require VFR conditions. The company replaced three of their Cessna 207’s with three GA8 Airvans. Managing Director Richard Rayward has had no regrets with that decision and although the company still operates a C206 and a C207 (plus the Nomads and Caravan), Richard stated that the Airvan “eats” the Cessna 206 in performance and passenger acceptance. Interestingly, the Airvan is often referred to as a C206 replacement when in fact it is perhaps more of a C207 replacement for many operators. Air Safaris bases two of its Airvans at Tekapo, with the third based at Franz Josef on the West Coast. Using them for scenic flying, Richard says they have proved to be ideal workhorses for the company. Being able to operate with seven adult passengers (82-83 kg) and two hours fuel is perfect for the Air Safaris missions, which see them operating at 9,000 to 10,000 feet in and around the demanding Mt Cook region. “It has remarkable performance for the size of the aircraft and the size of the engine,” commented Richard enthusiastically, adding that he has found the aircraft well thought out with the pilot in mind. The centre aisle, simple seatbelt system and large windows have been a huge plus, combined with the fact it is an easy aircraft to fly, has made it popular with both passengers and pilots alike.

Air Safaris is watching Gippsland’s development of a turbocharged version of the GA8 with interest because although Air Safaris is by no means unhappy with the performance of its current GA8s, any extra climb and altitude performance is always handy, given the nature of its operations.

There are now around 100 Airvans in operation worldwide, employed in a multitude of roles from scenic flying to famine relief in such diverse environments as the populated skies of Europe to the harsh Australian Outback. With the number of older Cessna 206s and 207s in our region, one could expect to see other companies joining Glenorchy Air Services, Air Safaris, Kaikoura-based Wings Over Whales and Sounds Air as GA8 Airvan users.