Is the Seamew the Airtruk's grandma?

[Garfly]

Tuh!  ... and they call the Skyranger ugly!!  (Okay, with a bit of justification, but hey, they laughed at the 2CV too!)

 

 

 

 

 

[IBob]

Oh dear.........(

The Airtruck had a tiny dicky seat at the rear of the fuselage, for transporting loader drivers and other unfortunates; and from which, on turbulent days, the long-suffering loader drivers had a clear view of the twin tail booms, as they wobbled about independent of the aircraft and each other....

[IBob]

There is also a story about a loader driver who got his own back by clambering somehow into the hopper midflight, and hiding there after landing. But, of course, nobody would be so silly as to do that nowadays.........)

[Garfly]

I'd like to know what happened to the rest of those Harvard parts. What a waste!

 

Anyway, this turned out to be a more successful ZK workhorse:

 

 

Edited February 24, 2021 by Garfly

[kasper]

But unfortunately the company - Pacific Aerospace - was declared insolvent on Friday. 

[Garfly]

Speaking of the unprepossessing ...

 

 

[kasper]

Woo Hoo - the Lysander you have when you have been rear ended by what looks like a bomber tail group

[Garfly]

It's best left unsaid; just what went on in those dark wartime hangars.

[IBob]

"Wretched pilots keep complainin' of running out of elevator trim. Right....we'll fix THEM..................."

[spacesailor]

I thought ' transAviation  Sevenhills NSW ' was the ' Airtruk ',

How can both companies aircraft  have the same name ?.

spacesailor

 

[Garfly]

One is the PL11 and the other the PL12. Same designer, Luigi Pellarini. The story is covered in the little documentary.

[spacesailor]

Not the designer .

BUT

two differentcompanies calling their aircraft " Airtruk ".

spacesailor

 

Edited February 24, 2021 by spacesailor
Missed signing

[Garfly]

It's a CONFUSING world.

 

Thank goodness for Doctor Wiki:

 

"It was developed from the Bennett Airtruck designed in New Zealand by Luigi Pellarini. It has a 1 tonne capacity hopper and is able to ferry two passengers as a topdresser. Other versions can be used as cargo, ambulance or aerial survey aircraft, and carry one passenger in the top deck and four in the lower deck.

The Airtruk is also sometimes known as the Airtruck. Because the name "Airtruck" was registered by the New Zealand companies Bennett Aviation Ltd and Waitomo Aircraft Ltd, for their PL-11, Transavia found another name for their PL-12 ("Airtruk")."

Edited February 24, 2021 by Garfly

[Garfly]

 

 

[Student Pilot]

Very nice machine to fly, responsive and well harmonised controls.

[Garfly]

Any pics SP?

 

[Garfly]

Anyway, we do know that the Miles Aerovan was something of a grandma to the Short Skyvan.

 

(This is a 7 minute silent film from 1945)

 

 

 

 

Not to forget this distant French cousin:

 

 

From Wiki:

 

"In 1958, Short was approached by F.G. Miles Ltd (successor company to Miles Aircraft) which was seeking backing to produce a development of the H.D.M.106 Caravan design with a high aspect ratio wing similar to that of the Hurel-Dubois HD.31. Short acquired the design and data gathered from trials of the Miles Aerovan based H.D.M.105 prototype. After evaluating the Miles proposal, Short rejected the Caravan.^[2] They developed their own design for a utility all-metal aircraft which was called the Short SC.7 Skyvan. The Skyvan is a twin-engined all-metal, high-wing monoplane, with a braced, high aspect ratio wing, and an unpressurised, square-section fuselage with twin fins and rudders.^[3] It was popular with freight operators compared to other small aircraft because of its large rear door for loading and unloading freight. Its fuselage resembles the shape of a railroad boxcar for simplicity and efficiency."

Edited February 26, 2021 by Garfly

[kasper]

I remember flying him the bugger brother the 360 from Launceston to Essendon back in 1990 with Air Tasmania.  May be a flying box but it was a comfy flying box. 

[pmccarthy]

Also Mildura to Broken Hill back then.

[planedriver]

The Airtruk was a noisy little  bugger, we could always hear them climb out of the Seven Hills yard, back in the days of my married bliss in nearby Baulkham Hils. when I actually owned a house.

[Garfly]

 

Meanwhile, the Aerovan's gorgeous sibling, the M.52 was, for all its supersonic sexiness, finally, none the luckier in love.  

 

 

[Student Pilot]

On 25/02/2021 at 9:20 PM, Garfly said:

Any pics SP?

 

Only old actual photographs, in the vault somewhere. The one I flew was the one used in the flying shots of Mad Max. It was based in Tumut a couple of years ago.

[Garfly]

24 minutes ago, Student Pilot said:

The one I flew was the one used in the flying shots of Mad Max. It was based in Tumut a couple of years ago.

Oh, yeah ... the "Not enough runway!" scene. 

(I'm pretty sure that's John Howard saluting Max at 3:07)

 

 

 

Edited February 26, 2021 by Garfly

[facthunter]

A good use for it. Great flying shot s of a definitely "strange" aircraft. Modified EP9s were about Bankstown also. Fitted with ex Avro Anson radials.  Nev

[Thruster88]

On 25/02/2021 at 9:20 PM, Garfly said:

Any pics SP?