Kingsford Smith PL.7
Kingsford Smith Aviation Service · Australia · first flew 1956 · light aircraft
The PL.7 was an Australian agricultural biplane designed by Luigi Pellarini and first flown in September 1956, notable as the direct predecessor to the Transavia PL-12 Airtruk and one of the first purpose-designed crop-dusting aircraft built in Australia.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Agricultural biplane with hopper in forward fuselage between engine and pilot |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Agricultural biplane with hopper in forward fuselage between engine and pilot
- Unequal-span wings with fabric covering; Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah radial
- Direct ancestor of the Transavia PL-12 Airtruk
An ungainly agricultural biplane with a radial engine, a large forward hopper between engine and pilot, and fabric-covered unequal-span wings — clearly purpose-built for low-level agricultural work.
Specifications
- The Kingsford Smith PL.7 has a length of 7.47 m (25 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 12.2 m (40 ft).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Produced by Kingsford Smith Aviation Service, the PL.7 was designed around the Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah radial engine and used unequal-span fabric-covered wings. Development of the concept led through several refinements to the wholly different tricycle-undercarriage Transavia PL-12, which entered large-scale agricultural service.
Variants
The PL.7 was a prototype; subsequent developments led to the Transavia Airtruk rather than further biplane variants.
Where you'll see it
The prototype underwent agricultural trials in Australia but was not produced in quantity.
Related aircraft
AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 5,024 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.