Transavia PL-12 Airtruk

Never ceases to amaze me how these things fly with blocks of concrete hanging off the wings

Does Airtruk, as a type qualify as a warbird given military service, all be it limited including operations on Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

Paul

So what part did J V M Kean play in the PL-12 import/distribution process?

By my count, 35 PL-12 were registered in NZ, plus one registration change and a further 11 registrations reserved but not used (largely as a result of NZ production being prematurely halted).

Not sure who J V M Kean is and not sure what part he played in the importing and distribution of the PL-12 but would be very interested to hear more. I always understood that John Barr (Barr Bros) and Flight Engineers were the agents in New Zealand.

From all accounts between 120 -150 were produced and no one seems to be able to answer the question as to how many.... even Transavia/ Transfield are a little confused when it comes to how many where built and I understood that none were built from scratch in New Zealand they all arrived in kit set form and were assembled by Flight Engineers in Auckland. From what I have read eighteen were assembled by Flight Engineers Ltd, which was the engineering division of Barr Bros.

There were six models produced over the life of the production line with the PL-12 been the first which was approved around February 1966 of which the aircraft above Serial No# 602 (ZK-CTT) was one of the first out the doors. The original machines came out with the Continental IO-520-A engines and in 1967 they were changed to the IO-520-D, the basic difference between the A & D engines was that the A was only capable of producing 285hp for all operations where the D was capable of producing 300hp for five minutes and 285hp there after, which equaled to more power on take-off. The PL-12U was the next off the line which came about around April 1971, which was basically the same as the PL-12 but could be ordered in the utility category. This allowed for the hopper to be replaced by extra seating etc. In 1978 the PL-12/T320 came out with the new Continental Tiara 6-320B geared engine which was capabale of producing 320hp for five minutes and 300hp there after. The engine itself was a disaster and the 320’s became very well known for shedding propellers. I think in the end Continental withdraw the engine. In July 1979 the PL-12/T-300 was introduced followed by the PL-12/T-300A in March 1982. Both these models moved away from the Continental engine and replaced it with the Lycoming IO-540-KIA5 & later the IO-540-KIB5 both rated at 300hp. The maximum take-off weight of these two aircraft had been increased. The T300 was an PL-12 airframe with the Lycoming engine where the T300A included the new nose wheel assembly and a wider cockpit along with a few other modifications.

As far as T300’s go I think that there was only the one brought into New Zealand by the Kaikoura Aerial Topdressing Co-op ZK-TRO, which sadly crashed killing the pilot Nigel Barry around 1982. There were a couple of T300As imported which included ZK-TRP, TRR, TRS. Both TRP and TRR were exported back to Australia and TRS was operated by Skyfarmers Aviation until in was blown over in the Mackenzie Basin and was later rebuilt and operated in Masterton until it was written off in a take-off accident around 2001. The T300As assembled in New Zealand I think became T300A1s and did carry an NZ serial number but these were the only ones, they were still imported in kit set form.

The final model to be built in the mid 1980’s was the PL-12/T400, which was powered by a Lycoming IO-720D1BD engine rated at 400hp.of which four were built and delivered to China. As far as the records show there have only been two other T400s which were modified T300As in Australia of which Hazair in Albury operate one.

There were a number of these aircraft exported to Spain, Yugoslavia, Thailand, Indonesia, Demark, New Zealand and one to the USA. Of which there are a few still flying for a living. There are two still spraying in Yugoslavia, the two in Demark are both in museums but one is still in flying condition and appears at airshows around Europe from time to time. There are nine still active on the Australian register and the one in the USA is also on the airshow circuit.

Two did an impressive display at the Albury airshow a couple of months ago.

Everyone probably already knows this, but it occurred to me the Airtruk is the smallest double deck aircraft in the world. I wish I could remember where I read it, but the book said something about the hopper being removed, and seating two upstairs, and four - or even five! - downstairs. Bizarre I know...

Operated on Medivac services, apparently.

I can visualize a number of very quick recoveries when patients realized just what their aerial ambulance looked like.

Returning to the discussion of the importation of the PL-12 into New Zealand, I understand that it was a fairly complex operation. I may be wrong in detail, but hopefully the following explanation is correct:

The NZ economic situation in the 1960s was very different from today. This was before credit cards, Paypal and internet transfers. If you went on an overseas trip, you had to apply to the Reserve bank for the necessary overseas currency, and they would allocate you a specific (quite small) amount per day. You could not legally take out more. Similarly, if you imported or exported goods and services, all payments had to go through the Reserve bank at an exchange rate fixed by the Government.
A fellow by the name of J V M Kean had developed a timber export business, and of course obtained payments in overseas currency. Apparently annoyed at the official exchange rate he was given, he started to look around for a more profitable alternative. Somehow, he got hooked into the aircraft market and came up with the idea of using this overseas currency to buy and import aircraft into New Zealand, and then lease the aircraft out to operators. The PL-12 Airtruk turned out to be his aircraft of choice.
Thus the first PL-12 ZK-CTT was registered in his own name on 11th April 1967. The Transavia Leasing Co.Ltd. was then formed to own and lease out these machines.
All the early Barr operated PL-12 - CTT CVA CVB CVC CVD CVE CWM CWN CWY - were on lease from this company.
This concept was an attractive package for 'second line' operators as the largest companies (Rural, James, Robertson, WAW, Fieldair) had already re-equipped with modern equipment, and these smaller companies were finding it difficult to raise the necessary capital to compete. By leasing, they could upgrade their aircraft without capital outlay.
Air Contracts of Masterton was another operator who took up a number of leased aircraft. Even the king of Fletchers, James Aviation, leased PL-12 ZK-CWN for a few months in early 1968.
By 1970 the deal seems to have run its course, and the operators seemed then to have either bought their Airtruks outright, or leased them from standard leasing companies like Dominion Leasing.

The only other aviation activity I can find for J V M Kean was an abortive attempt to bring a Twin Comanche into the country in 1970. This was intended to become ZK-DBB, but never arrived.

Something you thought you'd never see:
James Aviation PL-12 Airtruk
ZK-DNA Onerahi 21Dec76

From memory it crashed somewhere around Putaruru,unless I'm completely mistaken and it didn't.The Topdressers also have CMW and DMK used by James.