Following the recent delivery of a GA8 Airvan to Lithuania there are now ten examples of the rugged Australian designed and built utility type flying on European registrations.

Gippsland Aeronautics Co Founding Director George Morgan delivered the Lithuanian Airvan, LY-BAA, to Skraidybos mokymo centras UAB at Vilnius, who will primarily use it for skydiving. The Airvan was shipped to the UK from Australia and then flown across Europe to Lithuania via Groningen in the Netherlands and Germany.

There are now five Airvans are in the United Kingdom. The latest is Gippsland’s European demonstrator G-VAND. In Surrey two Airvans, G-VANA and G-TVCO are operated by skydive operator, The Boogie Club, which specializes in organizing skydiving events and in supplying aircraft for skydiving. The Sunderland Parachute Centre at Peterlee operates a third UK skydiving Airvan, G-SCOL, while Zyox Pty Ltd of Oxford use G-TVCO for corporate transport purposes.

In continental Europe Airvan D-EOLF is with Ostfriesiche Luft Transport (OLT) based at Emden Germany. OLT operates an extensive public air transport network throughout Europe. The OLT Airvan, which was the first Airvan to enter commercial passenger and freight operations in Europe, services the Friesian islands off the northern coast of Germany.

In the Netherlands, Dutch operator, Kammair operates PK – KAM, out of Rotterdam on general charter and Skydiving.

On the far side of the globe from Continental Europe in the Pacific Ocean an Airvan wearing the French Registration, F-OSGM, flies in exotic New Caledonia for mining company Société Mineres Georges in for support of a remote mine site.

In another corner of the globe an Airvan is flying in Iceland. Whilst not part of the European Union, Iceland participates in EASA. The Icelandic Airvan TF-VAN is with Fjardaflug carrying out tourist and general charter work.

Gippsland Aeronautics is represented in the UK and Europe by aviation consultant Neil Plumb. Neil conducts Airvan flight demonstrations in the company demonstrator aircraft, which is based at Cranfield Airport in Bedfordshire in the UK, and will also provide product support services.

Neil can be contacted at by phone on +44 (0) 1908 270 911 or by Fax: on + 44 (0) 7881 623 459 or by Email at neil@fly-unlimited.com.