Transavia Airtruk & Skyfarmer
- CountryAustralia
- TypeAgricultural aircraft
- PowerplantsPL12U - One 225kW (300hp) Continental IO520D fuel injected flat six piston engine driving a two blade constant speed McCauley propeller. T300A - One 225kW (300hp) Textron Lycoming IO540 fuel injected flat six driving a three blade constant speed Hartzell prop.
- PerformancePL12U - Max cruising speed 188km/h (102kt). Initial rate of climb 800ft/min. Service ceiling 10,500ft. Range with max payload 1205km (650nm), with max fuel 1295km (700nm). T300A - Max speed 196km/h (106kt), max cruising speed (75% power) 188km/h (102kt). Initial rate of climb 515ft/min. Service ceiling 12,500ft.
- WeightsPL12U - Empty 830kg (1830lb), max takeoff 1723kg (3800lb). T300A - Typical empty 955kg (2100lb), max takeoff (ag category) 1925kg (4244lb).
- DimentionsPL12U - Wing span 12.15m (39ft 11in), length 6.35m (20ft 10in), height 2.79m (9ft 2in). Wing area 23.5m2 (252.7sq ft). T300A - Wing span 11.98m (39ft 4in), length 6.35m (20ft 10in), height 2.79m (9ft 2in). Wing area (including lower stub wing) 24.5m2 (264.0sq ft).
- CapacitySingle pilot in all versions. PL12, T300 and T400 - Seats for two passengers and fitted with a chemical hopper. PL12U seats five with no hopper.
- ProductionTotal production of 120 plus, including 18 assembled in New Zealand. Production complete.
The Airtruk and Skyfarmer owe their beginnings to New Zealand's first business flying machine, the Waitomo Airtruck.
The first Waitomo Airtruck was composed by Luigi Pellarini in the mid 1950s, and utilized various segments from the North American T6 Texan/Harvard arrangement of cylinder motor military progressed mentors. These parts included principle undercarriage wheels, the front undercarriage gathering, fuel tanks and the 410kw (550hp) Pratt & Whitney R1340 outspread cylinder motor. The Airtruck additionally offered a decently tall and squat fuselage that suited a pilot, two travelers and a compound container, tricycle undercarriage, a high mounted wing and blast mounted twin tails. The bizarre twin tail setup was embraced as it tackled the issue of chemicals polluting the back fuselage, while it additionally permitted simpler stacking of the substance container. The Airtruck first flew on August 2 1960.
The Airtruck was not inherent New Zealand, and rather was further created in Australia by Transavia as the Pl12 Airtruk. The Airtruk varied from the Airtruck in having a level six Continental motor and extra lower stub wings. It was conveyed from December 1966.
The Pl12u utility seats five and has the compound tank erased. It was conveyed from 1971. The T300 and T300a Skyfarmers are enhanced advancements of the Pl12 with a Textron Lycoming Io540 motor; the T300 first flew in July 1971, the T300a, which presented air motion facilitating enhancements, first flew in 1981. The last advancement was the 300kw (400hp) level eight Io720 controlled T400, four were conveyed to China. Generation stopped in 1993.
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