Bennett Airtruck

Bennett Airtruck

The PL-11 Airtruck is a New Zealand agricultural aircraft.

A strikingly unusual aircraft, the PL-11 Airtruck was designed as a de Havilland Tiger Moth replacement for the New Zealand aerial topdressing market by Luigi Pellarini in 1960 for Waitomo Aircraft. The prototype was constructed using bits of war surplus ex-RNZAF North American Harvards. It featured all aluminium structure, a high wing monoplane with a steel stub wing and V lift struts, steerable tricycle undercarriage, an extremely stubby pod fuselage, the cockpit (made from shortened Harvard glazing) being mounted directly over the radial engine, providing excellent forward view and very high drag, beneath it was room for a superphosphate hopper or up to 5 people in a cabin. The strangeness was completed by twin booms each supporting unconnected tail units, (the idea being a truck could reverse between the tail units to load the hopper). Despite the outlandish appearance the Airtruck was perhaps surprisingly successful, if unable to compete with the Fletcher Fu24 in its design market.

A shortage of Harvard parts lead to the type being redesigned for all new construction, as the Transavia Airtruk, which was mass produced in Australia.

External links

* [http://www.airliners.net/info/stats.main?id=379 Airliners.net info page]
* [http://rnzaf.proboards43.com/index.cgi?board=civil&action=display&thread=4368 New Zealand forum discussion]


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Transavia PL-12 Airtruk — Infobox Aircraft name = Airtruk caption = type = Agricultural aircraft national origin = Australia manufacturer = Transavia designer = Luigi Pellarini first flight = 22 April 1965 introduction = retired = status = primary user = more users =… …   Wikipedia

  • Aerial topdressing — is the spreading of fertilisers such as superphosphate over farmland with the use of aircraft. Aerial topdressing was developed in New Zealand in the 1940s and was rapidly adopted elsewhere in the 1950s. For more general information about… …   Wikipedia

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