GA8 Airvan
Gippsland Aeronautics · Australia · first flew 1995 · transport aircraft
The GA8 Airvan is a rugged single-engined Australian utility aircraft built for short strips, carrying up to seven passengers or bulky freight.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Slab-sided fuselage with big doors |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Boxy high-wing utility hauler
- Fixed tricycle undercarriage
- Slab-sided fuselage with big doors
Identify it by the deep, square-sided cabin, high strut-braced straight wing, fixed tricycle gear and a single nose-mounted piston engine.
Specifications
- The GA8 Airvan has a length of 8.94 m (29 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 12.42 m (41 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 213 km/h (132 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Gippsland Aeronautics flew the prototype in 1995 and gained certification at the end of the 1990s, aiming the aircraft at outback operators who had outgrown the Cessna 172 but wanted piston simplicity. The design later passed to GippsAero and Mahindra Aerospace.
Variants
The baseline GA8 uses a Lycoming IO-540, while the GA8-TC320 adds a turbocharged engine for hot-and-high performance. A larger ten-seat GA10 turboprop followed the family.
Where you'll see it
The Airvan is popular with parachute clubs, missionary and charter operators worldwide; in the UK it appears mainly on the civil register for skydiving and light freight rather than in military service.
Related aircraft
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