Home Grown

Not satisfied to stop at one type, the breakthrough aircraft was the GA8 Airvan which first flew in 1995. The eight-seat, high-wing utility aeroplane has gone on to become a true Australian success story. Airframe number 175 is currently under construction and will see the Airvan outdo the Nomad as the most prolific Australian designed and built commercial aircraft. However, this landmark is more of a stepping stone for GippsAero.

As the GA8 continues to spread its wings across the continents, its turboprop GA10 sibling is set to make its first flight this year, while a big buzz is being created by the rebirth of the venerable GAF Nomad as the GA18. All the while, the company continues to handle other fabrication, maintenance and modification processes for a range of aeroplanes under a number of type certificate approvals. While the Airvan has grabbed the headlines in the past, it will not be alone as these new projects take flight.

In 2010, India’s Mahindra acquired a major shareholding in GippsAero. Mahindra is an enthusiastic player in the aerospace world and multinational company worth $14.5 billion. Yes, that’s right; “billion”! In a global economy that seems to be stalling, GippsAero not only possesses a sound plan for growth, but a substantial shareholder with the ability to implement it on a massive scale.

Keeping it Simple

If the turn off to the airport is inconspicuous, then the GippsAero facility is in keeping with this degree of low key presence. The manufacturing facilities are substantial, but there are no massive billboards or seas of leased BMWs sitting in the carpark. The main administration building was once the original home to the Aviation Division of the National Safety Council of Australia (NSCA) Victorian Branch and now houses not only administration staff, but a number of engineers and designers. Adjacent are a series of large, long colour-bond buildings. A staff of around 150 ply their trade at the facility, with 70 of those jobs being created in the last 18 months.

As I meet John Willis in the foyer of GippsAero, my eye is immediately caught by a world map on the wall dotted with a mass of coloured flags. Each flag represents a GippsAero aeroplane in operation around the world and it is a very effective way of reinforcing just how far the reach of this company is.

When John and I walk through the facility it is a public holiday and relatively quiet. Even so, a number of skilled tradesmen are at their stations on overtime as the demand for the aircraft doesn’t take days off.

Each Airvan features around 66,000 rivets and 1.5km of wiring, while for the significant amount of sheet-metal work there is a CNC punch press, a rubber press and folding and rolling machines etc. A welding shop handles the welded components, such as control wheels, door frames and rudder pedals, while glass reinforced plastic (GRP) components, which include the engine cowls, cargo pod and cabin lining panels, are created in series of work room.

Having visited the massive Boeing Everett facility near Seattle recently, I cannot help but be struck by the parallels at GippsAero, albeit on a smaller scale. The facility is extremely clean and organised and each long building houses a line up of partially completed corrosion-proofed airframes.

Walking along the GA8 production line is like pedestrian paced time lapse photography which sees a bare form evolve into a fully fledged aeroplane, each with a number on its flank and a flag of the country that it will call home; just like Boeing. Amongst their number is Airvan 175, the ‘record breaker’ that the entire staff are excited about; the positive staff morale is tangible.

Along the way are smaller stations where specific processes are applied before they are attached to the airframe and it is here that the sound, sensible construction philosophy can be appreciated. Wing ribs are simply made either left or right and when strengthening is needed, such as around the fuel cell, two are fitted back to back. Cleverly, the galvanised steel firewall is part of an integral cockpit ‘cage’ that includes the nosewheel centre pedestal. The firewall is capable of absorbing 2000lb of force applied to the nose gear leg, in any direction with the leg fully extended, without deformation. This is but one example of the many safety related features designed into the Airvan in order to comply with its modern certification standard (Amendment 55 of FAR 23).

The engineering process also boasts a high degree of precision. John proudly informs me that the tail section of an Airvan was damaged in a hangaring accident in Germany. An entire replacement tail section, taken from the production line, was painted in the customer’s colours and air-freighted overseas. The new unit fitted without requiring any adjustment or rectification so that in a remarkably short time after the accident, an aircraft on the other side of the world was again taking to the air.

By the end of the production line, the next Airvan is simply waiting for the large roller door to open and for it to be towed into the sunlight. They may be rather inconspicuous sheds, but some very special work takes place within their walls.
But wait, there’s more…..

GA8 Airvan production is not the end of the line. Right across the facility, GippsAero is a hive of activity. There is an impressive paint shop with a number of spray rooms. The engineering facility holds the approval to modify Piper PA-25 Pawnees with a number of performance and safety enhancements. In another corner, a Piper Chieftain that the author flew in a previous life is undergoing a mandatory lower wing spar modification that extends its life beyond 13,000 hours.

Right next door is the first GA8 bound for India with its ferry tanks in place, awaiting the ferry pilot, and a version of the Airvan known as ASTRA, a cost-effective surveillance solution capable of carrying high-tech camera equipment beneath and tactical work stations on board.

Then there are older Airvans being re-furbished for re-sale. Such is their popularity with operators that four aircraft being rejuvenated in this instance were traded in on five new Airvans.

On walking through to an entirely separate building, the prototype GA10 turboprop is coming together. Soon to make its public debut, the GA10 is longer than the originally Airvan and is capable of carrying up to 10 people, but retains the philosophy of simplicity and cost-effectiveness seen in the GA8. The GA10 shares approximately 80 per cent airframe parts commonality with the GA8. Its empennage is common and it also shares the same wing as the GA8, although it possesses a stronger skin and houses more fuel.

GippsAero is pitching the GA10 as an entry level utility turboprop that will enable operators to make the not inconsiderable financial and operational step up to turbine operations. Basically a 150kt/750nm aeroplane, it will have operating costs substantially lower than other single-engined turboprops, simply because it is not as large as its competitors and has a lighter airframe and 450shp (335kW) Rolls-Royce 250 up the front compared to the commonly used 750shp (560kW) class turbines. GippsAero sees a niche below aircraft like the Cessna 208 Caravan and PAL P-750 XSTOL, rather than competing head to head with these bigger birds.

The final stop on my tour brings me face-to-face with an airworthy GAF N24A Nomad. There is another fuselage in the hangar’s rear, which will be used for mock ups and fit checks, but this complete aircraft is set to be the test-bed for the GA18 program, which will use new technologies that have been developed since the Nomad first flew to make it lighter and more efficient. There will be improved engine and propeller combinations, while the tail section will be totally revamped, with the new empennage based on the tail unit found on the GA8 and GA10.

Home Grown

It is almost hard to align the image of a small town aviation workshop that began as Gippsland Aeronautics with the multi-national backed organisation that now stands as GippsAero. There is a range of diversity in this operation, but still some very basic core philosophies. Economy, safety and utility are common to all of its aircraft types, but I would have to say that ‘horse sense’ is also prevalent. When there’s a simple way of designing something, then it is not complicated. Everything is built for use in the field and reeks of knowledge borne from experience. The commonality of processes between all of the types only adds to the natural fleet progression of GA8 to GA10 to GA18.

GippsAero has a strong foundation and a phenomenal scope for growth that belies an operation tucked away in a Victorian regional airport. It is something that every staff member and local resident should be proud of, for not only is there the potential to take on the world and win, but GippsAero is home grown.