51-669: The GippsAero GA8 Airvan 8 is a single-engined utility aircraft manufactured by GippsAero (formerly named Gippsland Aeronautics) of Victoria, Australia . It can seat up to eight people, including the pilot. The GA8 has been designed for use in remote areas and from austere air strips, performing tasks such as passenger services, freight, sightseeing, parachuting, observation, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and search and rescue operations. Its design emphasises ruggedness and ease of use. First flown on 3 March 1995 and type certified under Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Part 23 requirements during summer 2004,
102-400: A Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 , and an under-speed governor on a Honeywell TPE331 . The turboprop is also distinguished from other kinds of turbine engine in that the fuel control unit is connected to the governor to help dictate power. To make the engine more compact, reverse airflow can be used. On a reverse-flow turboprop engine, the compressor intake is at the aft of the engine, and
153-550: A floatplane model of the GA8 underwent evaluation. In 2011, the company announced that it was preparing to put the float-equipped model of the GA8 into production in partnership with American aviation float manufacturer Wipaire . In December 2010, a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) was issued to the manufacturer for a 200 lb. increase in MTOW . In September 2012, the company announced that Soloy Aviation Solutions had been appointed as
204-415: A turbojet or turbofan , the engine's exhaust gases do not provide enough power to create significant thrust, since almost all of the engine's power is used to drive the propeller. Exhaust thrust in a turboprop is sacrificed in favor of shaft power, which is obtained by extracting additional power (beyond that necessary to drive the compressor) from turbine expansion. Owing to the additional expansion in
255-535: A GA8 component distributor for the US market. During November 2012, West Coast Aviation Services was appointed as an authorised dealer of the aircraft itself. In January 2013, a second US company, Summit Aviation, became an authorised dealer of the GA8 in the US market; Sumit reportedly planned to focus on government and surveillance aircraft sales. At EAA Oshkosh 2014, the GA8 Airvan was renamed Mahindra Airvan 8; this rebranding
306-510: A bombing raid. In 1941, the engine was abandoned due to war, and the factory converted to conventional engine production. The first mention of turboprop engines in the general public press was in the February 1944 issue of the British aviation publication Flight , which included a detailed cutaway drawing of what a possible future turboprop engine could look like. The drawing was very close to what
357-831: A configuration similar to the Cessna 208 Caravan , with a rectangular fuselage. In standard seating, each passenger has a rectangular window bulged outwards to improve the downwards view. The high wing aft of the pilot improves its visibility, notably upwards. It has an aisle between the seats unlike other bush planes , cabin ventilation is evenly distributed, and upholstery is modular for rapid replacement. It has been designed to ease maintenance with minimal tooling and maximised accessibility. The cabin rear door can be opened mid-flight. Dedicated configurations are available for skydiving , freight and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions. It can carry up to 440 lb (200 kg) within an optional cargo pod, accessible through
408-442: A governor, and overspeed governor, and a fuel-topping governor. The governor works in much the same way a reciprocating engine propeller governor works, though a turboprop governor may incorporate beta control valve or beta lift rod for beta operation and is typically located in the 12 o'clock position. There are also other governors that are included in addition depending on the model, such as an overspeed and fuel topping governor on
459-410: A mode typically consisting of zero to negative thrust, is used for all ground operations aside from takeoff. The Beta mode is further broken down into 2 additional modes, Beta for taxi and Beta plus power. Beta for taxi as the name implies is used for taxi operations and consists of all pitch ranges from the lowest alpha range pitch, all the way down to zero pitch, producing very little to zero-thrust and
510-504: A reflection of GippsAero's recent acquisition by Indian conglomerate Mahindra Group . The aircraft was produced in Australia; establishment of a North American final assembly line to produce the type was proposed at one time. In November 2020, the Indian conglomerate Mahindra, which had purchased the company, announced that production would cease at that time, citing the financial effects of
561-466: A side-door and rear-mounted hatch. For ISR missions, multiple sensors can be contained in a modular pod, such as a Wescam -supplied surveillance camera; the sensors can be retractable to appear as an ordinary cargo pod. Mission workstations can be secured upon the standard seat mounts for three operators in a standard ISR configuration. The airframe and onboard systems are designed for durability and simplicity. The spring suspended tricycle undercarriage
SECTION 10
#1732863090975612-581: A small amount of air by a large degree, a low disc loading (thrust per unit disc area) increases the aircraft's energy efficiency , and this reduces the fuel use. Propellers work well until the flight speed of the aircraft is high enough that the airflow past the blade tips reaches the speed of sound. Beyond that speed, the proportion of the power that drives the propeller that is converted to propeller thrust falls dramatically. For this reason turboprop engines are not commonly used on aircraft that fly faster than 0.6–0.7 Mach , with some exceptions such as
663-575: A test-bed not intended for production. It first flew on 20 September 1945. From their experience with the Trent, Rolls-Royce developed the Rolls-Royce Clyde , the first turboprop engine to receive a type certificate for military and civil use, and the Dart , which became one of the most reliable turboprop engines ever built. Dart production continued for more than fifty years. The Dart-powered Vickers Viscount
714-555: Is a general-purpose light airplane or helicopter , usually used for transporting people, freight, or other supplies, but also used for other duties when more specialized aircraft are not required or available. The term can also refer to an aircraft type certificated under American, Canadian, European, or Australian regulations as a Utility Category Aircraft , which indicates that it is permitted to conduct limited aerobatics . The approved maneuvers include chandelles , lazy eights , spins , and steep turns over 60° of bank. In
765-458: Is a reflection of GippsAero's recent acquisition by Indian conglomerate Mahindra Group . At the event, a company spokesperson announced that plans were underway to establish a new assembly line to produce the aircraft in North America . Mahindra has also undertaken substantial investments into its Australian facilities for the purpose of expanding its production capacity. The Mahindra Airvan 8
816-556: Is an eight-seat utility aircraft designed for operations in the Australian Outback . The GA8 is powered by a single Lycoming IO-540 piston engine, replaced by a Rolls-Royce 250-B17F/2 turboprop in its GA10 derivative. It can take off within 525 ft (160 m), and can operate from a 1,000 ft (300 m) air strip under average conditions. Aviation International News has described its handling as forgiving, responsible, and akin to smaller aircraft. The aircraft has
867-654: Is oil-free; no fuel selectors have to be managed with the 92.2 gallon (349 liters) wing tanks feeding a single sump tank under the cabin floor. The simple wing has mechanically actuated flaps . The wings are rated for 92,000 hours; the lowest lifetime structural fitting, the aft vertical stabilizer fitting, have to be replaced at 15,000 hours. Avionics include a Garmin G500 multi-function display , Garmin GTN750 and 650 touchscreen satellite navigation units , and backup analog instruments. 228 Airvan 8s were in service as of July 2019. The GA8
918-679: Is popular with air charter companies, skydiving operators and small feeder air carriers. Larger operators include the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) which at one time flew 18 Airvans for search and rescue operations and long range disaster response and relief as well as airborne damage assessment missions. Beginning in 2022, CAP started phasing the Airvan out of their fleet. Mission Aviation Fellowship Australia operates 11 Airvans, providing air-transport services in developing countries. Mission Aviation Fellowship Suriname operates three Airvans. Operators include
969-407: Is that it can also be used to generate reverse thrust to reduce stopping distance on the runway. Additionally, in the event of an engine failure, the propeller can be feathered , thus minimizing the drag of the non-functioning propeller. While the power turbine may be integral with the gas generator section, many turboprops today feature a free power turbine on a separate coaxial shaft. This enables
1020-421: Is typically accessed by moving the power lever to a beta for taxi range. Beta plus power is a reverse range and produces negative thrust, often used for landing on short runways where the aircraft would need to rapidly slow down, as well as backing operations and is accessed by moving the power lever below the beta for taxi range. Due to the pilot not being able to see out of the rear of the aircraft for backing and
1071-616: The P-3 Orion , and the C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft. The first turbine-powered, shaft-driven helicopter was the Kaman K-225 , a development of Charles Kaman 's K-125 synchropter , which used a Boeing T50 turboshaft engine to power it on 11 December 1951. December 1963 saw the first delivery of Pratt & Whitney Canada's PT6 turboprop engine for the then Beechcraft 87, soon to become Beechcraft King Air . 1964 saw
SECTION 20
#17328630909751122-830: The Piper Meridian , Socata TBM , Pilatus PC-12 , Piaggio P.180 Avanti , Beechcraft King Air and Super King Air . In April 2017, there were 14,311 business turboprops in the worldwide fleet. Between 2012 and 2016, the ATSB observed 417 events with turboprop aircraft, 83 per year, over 1.4 million flight hours: 2.2 per 10,000 hours. Three were "high risk" involving engine malfunction and unplanned landing in single‑engine Cessna 208 Caravans , four "medium risk" and 96% "low risk". Two occurrences resulted in minor injuries due to engine malfunction and terrain collision in agricultural aircraft and five accidents involved aerial work: four in agriculture and one in an air ambulance . Jane's All
1173-590: The Tupolev Tu-114 can reach 470 kn (870 km/h; 540 mph). Large military aircraft , like the Tupolev Tu-95 , and civil aircraft , such as the Lockheed L-188 Electra , were also turboprop powered. The Airbus A400M is powered by four Europrop TP400 engines, which are the second most powerful turboprop engines ever produced, after the 11 MW (15,000 hp) Kuznetsov NK-12 . In 2017,
1224-403: The Tupolev Tu-95 . However, propfan engines, which are very similar to turboprop engines, can cruise at flight speeds approaching 0.75 Mach. To maintain propeller efficiency across a wide range of airspeeds, turboprops use constant-speed (variable-pitch) propellers. The blades of a constant-speed propeller increase their pitch as aircraft speed increases. Another benefit of this type of propeller
1275-655: The Des Kelly Special Achievement Award, and on 31 March 2011, Australian Flying recognised the flight as a first in Australian aviation history. A turboprop derivative of the GA8, the GA10 , is also being developed. It is a slightly stretched 10-seat capacity aircraft powered by a Rolls-Royce 250-B17F/2 turboprop engine. It is planned for the GA10 to retain as many common parts with the GA8 as possible. During 2005,
1326-474: The GA8 has been flown by a diverse range of operators throughout the world. Since its introduction, improved models featuring more powerful engines have been introduced; an enlarged turboprop -powered derivative, designated as the Gippsland GA10 , has also been developed. A floatplane model of the GA8 has also been produced. At EAA Oshkosh 2014, the GA8 Airvan was officially renamed as Mahindra Airvan 8 as
1377-519: The GA8-TC320 Airvan became the first Australian designed and manufactured aircraft to circumnavigate the Earth. Piloted by Kenneth Evers and Timothy Pryse, the circumnavigational flight was recognised by Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) , the world’s governing body for air sports and aeronautical world records, as an official circumnavigation in accordance with FAI rules. The pilots were awarded
1428-519: The Soviet Union had the technology to create the airframe for a jet-powered strategic bomber comparable to Boeing's B-52 Stratofortress , they instead produced the Tupolev Tu-95 Bear, powered with four Kuznetsov NK-12 turboprops, mated to eight contra-rotating propellers (two per nacelle) with supersonic tip speeds to achieve maximum cruise speeds in excess of 575 mph, faster than many of
1479-470: The United States, military utility aircraft are given the prefix U in their designations . This aircraft-related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Turboprop A turboprop is a turbine engine that drives an aircraft propeller . A turboprop consists of an intake , reduction gearbox , compressor , combustor , turbine , and a propelling nozzle . Air enters
1530-818: The aircraft was in planning from 2002, and the prototype turbocharged aircraft commenced flight testing in October 2006. In February 2009, Gippsland Aeronautics announced that the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority had issued an amendment to the GA8 type certificate to cover the turbocharged variant. This version is designated as the GA8-TC320 and is powered by a 320 HP Lycoming TIO-540-AH1A turbocharged fuel-injected engine. The first deliveries of this model took place in February 2009; within two years, numerous GA8-TC320 Airvans had been delivered to customers in Australia and New Zealand . On 8 July 2010,
1581-414: The amount of debris reverse stirs up, manufacturers will often limit the speeds beta plus power may be used and restrict its use on unimproved runways. Feathering of these propellers is performed by the propeller control lever. The constant-speed propeller is distinguished from the reciprocating engine constant-speed propeller by the control system. The turboprop system consists of 3 propeller governors ,
GippsAero GA8 Airvan - Misplaced Pages Continue
1632-407: The exhaust is situated forward, reducing the distance between the turbine and the propeller. Unlike the small-diameter fans used in turbofan engines, the propeller has a large diameter that lets it accelerate a large volume of air. This permits a lower airstream velocity for a given amount of thrust. Since it is more efficient at low speeds to accelerate a large amount of air by a small degree than
1683-493: The first jet aircraft and comparable to jet cruising speeds for most missions. The Bear would serve as their most successful long-range combat and surveillance aircraft and symbol of Soviet power projection through to the end of the 20th century. The USA used turboprop engines with contra-rotating propellers, such as the Allison T40 , on some experimental aircraft during the 1950s. The T40-powered Convair R3Y Tradewind flying-boat
1734-546: The first deliveries of the Garrett AiResearch TPE331 , (now owned by Honeywell Aerospace ) on the Mitsubishi MU-2 , making it the fastest turboprop aircraft for that year. In contrast to turbofans , turboprops are most efficient at flight speeds below 725 km/h (450 mph; 390 knots) because the jet velocity of the propeller (and exhaust) is relatively low. Modern turboprop airliners operate at nearly
1785-676: The following: On 14 July 2019, a GA8 Airvan of Skydive Umeå crashed on the island of Storsandskär, Sweden , killing its nine occupants. Structural failure of a wing was suspected as a cause. The GA8 Airvan was grounded by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) in Australia, Civil Aviation Authority in New Zealand, and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in the European Union. The grounding order
1836-458: The future Rolls-Royce Trent would look like. The first British turboprop engine was the Rolls-Royce RB.50 Trent , a converted Derwent II fitted with reduction gear and a Rotol 7 ft 11 in (2.41 m) five-bladed propeller. Two Trents were fitted to Gloster Meteor EE227 — the sole "Trent-Meteor" — which thus became the world's first turboprop-powered aircraft to fly, albeit as
1887-484: The global economic slowdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic . In November 2023 GippsAero's cofounder, George Morgan, re-purchased the company and announced his intentions to resume production of the Airvan 8. According to aviation publication Flying , the aircraft was designed to fill a market niche perceived by the manufacturer between the six-seat Cessna 206 and fourteen-seat Cessna 208 Caravan models. The GA8's design
1938-417: The intake and is compressed by the compressor. Fuel is then added to the compressed air in the combustor, where the fuel-air mixture then combusts . The hot combustion gases expand through the turbine stages, generating power at the point of exhaust. Some of the power generated by the turbine is used to drive the compressor and electric generator . The gases are then exhausted from the turbine. In contrast to
1989-657: The most widespread turboprop airliners in service were the ATR 42 / 72 (950 aircraft), Bombardier Q400 (506), De Havilland Canada Dash 8 -100/200/300 (374), Beechcraft 1900 (328), de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter (270), Saab 340 (225). Less widespread and older airliners include the BAe Jetstream 31 , Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia , Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner , Dornier 328 , Saab 2000 , Xian MA60 , MA600 and MA700 , Fokker 27 and 50 . Turboprop business aircraft include
2040-485: The power section (turbine and gearbox) to be removed and replaced in such an event, and also allows for less stress on the start during engine ground starts. Whereas a fixed shaft has the gearbox and gas generator connected, such as on the Honeywell TPE331 . The propeller itself is normally a constant-speed (variable pitch) propeller type similar to that used with larger aircraft reciprocating engines , except that
2091-522: The propeller to rotate freely, independent of compressor speed. Alan Arnold Griffith had published a paper on compressor design in 1926. Subsequent work at the Royal Aircraft Establishment investigated axial compressor-based designs that would drive a propeller. From 1929, Frank Whittle began work on centrifugal compressor-based designs that would use all the gas power produced by the engine for jet thrust. The world's first turboprop
GippsAero GA8 Airvan - Misplaced Pages Continue
2142-403: The propeller-control requirements are very different. Due to the turbine engine's slow response to power inputs, particularly at low speeds, the propeller has a greater range of selected travel in order to make rapid thrust changes, notably for taxi, reverse, and other ground operations. The propeller has 2 modes, Alpha and Beta. Alpha is the mode for all flight operations including takeoff. Beta,
2193-585: The same speed as small regional jet airliners but burn two-thirds of the fuel per passenger. Compared to piston engines, their greater power-to-weight ratio (which allows for shorter takeoffs) and reliability can offset their higher initial cost, maintenance and fuel consumption. As jet fuel can be easier to obtain than avgas in remote areas, turboprop-powered aircraft like the Cessna Caravan and Quest Kodiak are used as bush airplanes . Turboprop engines are generally used on small subsonic aircraft, but
2244-406: The turbine system, the residual energy in the exhaust jet is low. Consequently, the exhaust jet produces about 10% of the total thrust. A higher proportion of the thrust comes from the propeller at low speeds and less at higher speeds. Turboprops have bypass ratios of 50–100, although the propulsion airflow is less clearly defined for propellers than for fans. The propeller is coupled to
2295-471: The turbine through a reduction gear that converts the high RPM /low torque output to low RPM/high torque. This can be of two primary designs, free-turbine and fixed. A free-turbine turboshaft found on the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 , where the gas generator is not connected to the propeller. This allows for propeller strike or similar damage to occur without damaging the gas generator and allowing for only
2346-557: Was designed by the Hungarian mechanical engineer György Jendrassik . Jendrassik published a turboprop idea in 1928, and on 12 March 1929 he patented his invention. In 1938, he built a small-scale (100 Hp; 74.6 kW) experimental gas turbine. The larger Jendrassik Cs-1 , with a predicted output of 1,000 bhp, was produced and tested at the Ganz Works in Budapest between 1937 and 1941. It
2397-524: Was issued on 20 July and was due to run until 3 August, but was lifted early as CASA found there is no evidence for an unsafe condition, and the EASA said the wrecked aircraft had been exposed to aerodynamic loads beyond certification. Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 2003–2004 General characteristics Performance Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Utility aircraft A utility aircraft
2448-460: Was of axial-flow design with 15 compressor and 7 turbine stages, annular combustion chamber. First run in 1940, combustion problems limited its output to 400 bhp. Two Jendrassik Cs-1s were the engines for the world's first turboprop aircraft – the Varga RMI-1 X/H . This was a Hungarian fighter-bomber of WWII which had one model completed, but before its first flight it was destroyed in
2499-686: Was operated by the U.S. Navy for a short time. The first American turboprop engine was the General Electric XT31 , first used in the experimental Consolidated Vultee XP-81 . The XP-81 first flew in December 1945, the first aircraft to use a combination of turboprop and turbojet power. The technology of Allison's earlier T38 design evolved into the Allison T56 , used to power the Lockheed Electra airliner, its military maritime patrol derivative
2550-712: Was primarily produced by Peter Furlong. The aircraft was certified as conforming with the stringent Part 23 requirements of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); accordingly, elements were subject to dynamic testing, as well as the controllability of the aircraft with the loss of any primary flight control validated. The GA8 received its type certification in 2004. The GA8 has been used in various roles, including passenger services, freight, sightseeing, parachuting, observation, and search and rescue operations. It has been designed for use in remote areas and from austere air strips. A turbocharged version of
2601-593: Was the first turboprop aircraft of any kind to go into production and sold in large numbers. It was also the first four-engined turboprop. Its first flight was on 16 July 1948. The world's first single engined turboprop aircraft was the Armstrong Siddeley Mamba -powered Boulton Paul Balliol , which first flew on 24 March 1948. The Soviet Union built on German World War II turboprop preliminary design work by Junkers Motorenwerke, while BMW, Heinkel-Hirth and Daimler-Benz also worked on projected designs. While
SECTION 50
#1732863090975#974025