Super Falco departs Hamilton Airport
In April ZK-XLA received a Certificate of Airworthiness from the CAANZ….. and departed Hamilton with a loyal Flight Structures fanbase viewing her flight.
The Super Falco was developed by Andy Stevenson Aviation in conjunction with NZ Aero, with Flight Structures providing design and certification support. For more information on the Super Falco you can refer to this link.
We look forward to seeing her back here again at some stage in the future.
Supplemental Type Certificate for Super Falco Achieved......
At the very end of 2023 we received notification of the Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for the Super Falco, a development owned by Andy Stevenson Aviation. This was very exciting as the programme to certify this aircraft was run in tandem with the SuperPac Certification programme of NZ Aero.
STC 22/21E/15 covers the installation of an upgraded powerplant to PAL 750XL aircraft configured for agricultural operations by STC 11/21E/8 and STC 13/21E/4.
The powerplant upgrade consists of the installation of a Pratt & Whitney Canada (PWC) PT6A-140AG turbo-prop engine and 4 blade Hartzell HC-E4N-3KA() / E10703S() propeller.
Changes associated with the powerplant upgrade include a lengthened nose gear to accommodate the propeller, installation MVP-50T engine gauge, 30° landing flap setting and Elevator Trim/Balance Tab travel changes.
Jon Kerr was the Senior Project Manager on this project, assisted by the team including Jamie Simmons, Scott Simpson, Clyde James, Duncan Wollen, Adam Jones, Murray McGregor, David Roberts and Hemi Jones. Partners in this project were Menzies Aviation (Hamilton Aero Maintenance), Andy Stevenson Aviation and final sign off was by the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand.
Jon Kerr states “We made the best ag aircraft in the world better. It was a fantastic team effort by all involved and we look forward to the C of A being completed soon”.
Video Footage of SuperFalco Flight Testing
We put together this short video of the SuperFalco during one of her flight testing runs in late April 2023. Definitely put the sound on to view this……
Flight Testing the SuperFalco
Last week was a great week for the SuperFalco team….Andy Stevenson Aviation, Farmers Air, Hamilton Aero Maintenance, and Flight Structures.
Flight testing was conducted with five flights over two days. It’s a collaborative process involving the Test Pilot, Flight Test Engineers, and Maintenance - with the purpose being to gather data for R&D and potentially certification.
The SuperFalco is based on the PAC750XL Airframe with the Pratt and Whitney PT6A-140Ag engine, the MVP -50T Electronic Instrument Display and other improvements to make this a safe, cost effective spreader.
The photos tell some of the story - you don’t see the preparation in advance of the flight testing, and the wrap up work on reports happening now. We will be releasing video next week.
