Fri, Mar 12, 2004
PAC Hails Flagship Aircraft
New Zealand-based
Pacific Aerospace Corporation has received FAA certification for
its flagship PAC 750XL aircraft. The certification, which was
carried out under a bilateral agreement with the Civil Aviation
Authority of New Zealand, was completed after 18 months exhaustive
testing. This entailed subjecting the PAC 750XL to 315 flights,
1000 spins and 2500 individual tests on top of 70,000 man-hours of
design, manufacture and assembly - not to mention an investment of
many millions of dollars.
When the CAA cleared the PAC 750XL for take-off last year, it
had the distinction of being the first passenger aircraft to be
designed and manufactured in New Zealand. It's also believed to be
the first new aircraft built in the last 25 years specifically to
target the burgeoning adventure skydiving market. It now carries
the distinction of being the first New Zealand designed and built
aircraft to receive FAA-type certification.
The growing popularity of international skydiving provided the
impetus for PAC to design and build the PAC 750XL. The
multi-purpose aircraft can take 17 fully fitted skydivers to 3600
meters (11,800 feet) in 12 minutes.
First cleared for take-off in 2001, the first formal
certification flight took place in January 2003. Pacific Aerospace
Corporation achieved its target of completing flight-testing by
March 31 - 100 years to the day since Kiwi aviator Richard Pearse
took to the air in his bamboo monoplane. Pacific Aerospace
Corporation's managing director Brian Hare says firm options for
260 of the PAC 750XL, in addition to the 18 already sold, supports
the company's belief the plane is the best multi-purpose aircraft
available.
"At around $NZ1.7 million ($US1 million) per aircraft, we are
sitting on export orders in excess of $NZ440 million ($US250
million) over the next 10 years," says Hare. "Pacific Aerospace
Corporation has plans to triple in size over the next three to five
years to cope with worldwide demand. Total staffing will increase
from 120 to over 250 by 2008 and a number of key subcontractors
throughout New Zealand will also boost capacity."
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