Gippsland Aeronautics, today announced that the Australian Civil Aviation Authority has issued an amendment to the Type Certificates for the company’s GA8 Airvan utility aircraft to cover the turbo charged variant. The variant will be known as the GA8 - TC 320 and is powered by a 320 HP Lycoming TIO-540-AH1A Turbocharged Fuel Injected Engine turning a Hartzell 80 inch (2032 mm) diameter, three blade, constant speed propeller.

Gippsland Aeronautics first gained Australian Civil Aviation Authority (CASA) Type Certification of the Airvan in October 2000, against Amendment 48 of FAR 23. The Airvan then entered production with delivery of the first GA8 taking place in December 2000. The Australian certification was upgraded to FAR 23 Amendment 54/55 as a precursor to US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) and Transport Canada certification in 2003. The type was subsequently certificated by the European Aviation Safety Agency in 2005. Gippsland Aeronautics has now delivered 135 examples of the normally aspirated Airvan. The majority of these have been export sales and the type can now be found operating in 32 countries.

Gippsland Aeronautics Engineering and Product Development team has carried out all the work necessary to gain certification of the Turbocharged aircraft at the company’s home base at Latrobe Regional Airport in Gippsland in southeastern Australia.

We are now pleased to announce that deliveries of the Turbocharged variant Airvan will commence next week, with the first two Turbocharged Airvan deliveries going to Mission Aviation Fellowship for service in PNG and Air Freight Solutions in their freight operations with TOLL. Both operate Airvan fleets.