Pacific Aerospace

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Pacific Aerospace Ltd.
Private
Industry Aerospace
Founded 1982
Headquarters Hamilton, New Zealand
Area served
Worldwide
Website www.aerospace.co.nz

Pacific Aerospace Ltd (PAL) is an aircraft manufacturing company based in Hamilton, New Zealand. Along with its predecessors, it has produced around 600 utility, training and agricultural aircraft.[1]

History

Pacific Aerospace was formed from two companies, Air Parts (NZ) Ltd and Aero Engine Services Ltd. Air Parts imported Fletcher FU-24s in kit form during the mid-1950s and began manufacturing a significantly-modified variant, known as the PAC Fletcher, in 1965. Aero Engine Services Ltd diversified from maintenance work into taking over production of the Victa Airtourer, a light aircraft it developed into a military trainer, the PAC CT/4 in the early 1970s. The two firms joined in 1973 as New Zealand Aerospace Industries, which became Pacific Aerospace Corporation in 1982.[2]

Shortly afterward, Pacific Aerospace won contracts to provide components to Boeing and Airbus. Pacific Aerospace took over NZAI's work on a replacement for the Fletcher, which became the PAC Cresco and has in turn developed this into utility and skydiving variants. A new utility aircraft, the P-750 XSTOL, first flew in 2001. The company has also continued low-level CT4 production for over 30 years.[2]

In September 2005 an American firm's order for 12 PAC 750s was dishonoured, leading to controversy about government assistance to Pacific Aerospace.[3]

In 2006 a consortium of aviation professionals purchased the assets of the company and Pacific Aerospace Corporation became Pacific Aerospace Limited.[2]

In 2012 the Pacific Aerospace P-750 XSTOL aircraft was certified against ICAO Annex 6 for Single Engine IFR Passenger Transport Operations.[4]

List of Aircraft

File:Pac ct4e.jpg
Prototype CT-4E circa 1994
  • PAC CT/4 Airtrainer – (1972) Single-engine two-seat (side-by-side) low-wing with fixed landing gear. Piston-engined military basic trainer
  • PAC Fletcher – (1954) Single-engine two-seat (side-by-side) low-wing with fixed landing gear. Piston-engined aerial-application aircraft
  • PAC Cresco – (early 1980s) Single-engine low-wing with fixed landing gear. Turboprop-engined aerial application aircraft
  • P-750 XSTOL – (2001) Single-engine low-wing passenger transport with fixed landing gear. Turboprop skydive/utility/aerial application aircraft. Formally known as the PAC 750-XL.

References

  1. [dead link] Market New Zealand, "Pacific Aerospace Ltd"
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Pacific Aerospace Ltd, "Company History"
  3. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. http://www.aerospace.co.nz/aircraft/p-750-xstol/description

External links


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