As mentioned on the home page of this site, Harry Houdini set aviation history in Australia on 18 March 1910 when he took off in a French biplane known as the Voisin. The pioneers of Australian aviation such as Houdini and John Duigan would never in their wildest dreams imagine how far Australia and the world would come in the field of aviation!
The dreams and determination of these pioneers must not be forgotten, and thus on Australia's Centenary of Flight, Ken Evers and Tim Pryse will take off in a GA8-TC Airvan and create aviation history as this will the first time an Australian manufactured aircraft has ever circumnavigated the globe!
The GA8-TC Airvan is manufactured by Gippsland Aeronautics in Morwell, Victoria. Powered by a Lycoming TIO-540-AH1A Turbocharged fuel injected engine, the GA8-TC Airvan has a cruise speed of 140 knots at 10,000 feet with 75% power. The dimensions of the aircraft are as follows:
- Length: 29 ft 4.3 in (8.949m)
- Wingspan: 40 ft 8.68 in (12.412m)
- Height: 12 ft 9 in (3.885m)
- Wing Area: 208 sq ft (18.75m2)
- Wing Loading: 19.2 lb/sq ft (96.75 kg/m2)
The design weight and capacities of the GA8-TC Airvan are as follows:
- Maximum Take Off Weight: 4000 lb (1814 kg)
- Maximum Landing Weight: 4000 lb (1814 kg)
- Typical Empty IFR Equipped Weight: 2330 lb (1060 kg)
- Maximum Useful Load: 1650 lb (750 kg)
- Optional Cargo Pod - Capacity: 440 lb (200 kg)
"Gippsland Aeronautics was founded by Peter Furlong in 1977 as a sole trader aircraft maintenance and modification business based at Latrobe Valley Airport, Morwell in Victoria. George Morgan joined the firm in 1984 which was then incorporated as Gippsland Aeronautics Pty Ltd with he and Peter Furlong as co-directors. Development of the GA-8 Airvan began in 1993 and is in production at Latrobe Regional Airport."
--Aero Australia Magazine
Millions Against Malaria's Major Sponsor:
Mahindra Aerospace Private Limited
Mahindra Aerospace and its subsidiary company GippsAero are pleased to be sponsors of the Millions Against Malaria flight and very proud that it is being flown in a Gipps Aero Airvan GA8 aircraft.
Mahindra Aerospace is a new global player in the delivery of aircraft, aero-structural components and aircraft development services. The company is poised to deliver new aircraft to the general aviation sector and capture significant growth opportunities in the defence & civil aerospace market. Its vision is to become a globally recognized manufacturer of aircraft and a Tier 1 supplier of components & assemblies.
With its recent acquisition of two Australia-based aviation companies, Gippsland Aeronautics and Aerostaff Australia, Mahindra Aerospace has laid the foundations towards achieving its goals. In addition, a new state-of-the-art component manufacturing facility is being developed in Bangalore. The facility will comprise component and aero-structure assembly expertise in sheet metal, machining and special processing.
New aircraft being developed include a 5-seat light utility aircraft (in partnership with India’s National Aerospace Laboratories), a new 10 seat single engine Turboprop utility aircraft and a Twin Turboprop powered 18 seat multi role aircraft.
About Mahindra Group:
In December 2009, the US $ 6.3 billion Mahindra Group, one of India’s leading business houses, acquired a majority stake in Gippsland Aeronautics.
Mahindra embarked on its journey in 1945 by assembling the Willys Jeep in India and is now a leading Indian multinational. It employs over 1,00,000 people across the globe and enjoys a leadership position in utility vehicles, tractors and information technology, with a significant and growing presence in financial services, tourism, infrastructure development, trade and logistics. The Mahindra Group today is an embodiment of global excellence and enjoys a strong corporate brand image.
Mahindra is the only Indian company among the top tractor brands in the world and has made an entry in the two-wheeler segment, which will see the company emerge as a full-range player with a presence in almost every segment of the automobile industry.
The Mahindra Group expanded its IT portfolio when Tech Mahindra acquired the leading global business and information technology services company, Satyam Computer Services. The company is now known as Mahindra Satyam.
Mahindra's Farm Equipment Sector is the proud recipient of the Japan Quality Medal, the only tractor company worldwide to be bestowed this honour. It also holds the distinction of being the only tractor company worldwide to win the Deming Prize. The US based Reputation Institute ranked Mahindra among the top 10 Indian companies in its Global 200: The World's Best Corporate Reputations list.
“Both organizations will benefit enormously as a result of their association with Mahindra, given its strong global brand, impeccable standards of corporate governance and its ability and willingness to expand both component facilities and the GA product line-up.” -- Stephen Roebuck, MD, AA, and George Morgan, Founding Director, GA
George Morgan, Co-Founder & Director of Gippsland Aeronautics discusses the design features of the GA8-TC Airvan with Millions Against Malaria pilot, Tim Pryse.
