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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]
[edit] History
Pacific Aerospace was formed from two companies, Air Parts (NZ) Ltd and Aero Engine Services Ltd. Air Parts imported PAC Fletchers in kit form in the mid-1950s and began manufacturing 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 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]
[edit] List of Aircraft
Prototype CT-4E circa 1994
- PAC CT/4 Airtrainer - (1972) Single-engine two-seat (side-by-side) low-wing monoplane with fixed tricycle undercarriage. Piston-engined military basic trainer
- PAC Fletcher - (1954) Single-engine two-seat (side-by-side) low-wing monoplane with fixed tricycle undercarriage. Piston-engined aerial-application aircraft
- PAC Cresco - (early 1980s) Single-engine low-wing monoplane with fixed tricycle undercarriage. Turboprop-engined aerial application aircraft
- P-750 XSTOL - (2001) Single-engine low-wing monoplane passenger transport with fixed tricycle undercarriage. Turboprop skydive/utility/aerial application aircraft. Formally known as the PAC 750-XL.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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Hamilton, New Zealand
