![]() Luigi Pellarini's PL-2C flying car, circa 1950. New Zealanders needed a locally built airplane specifically designed for the job and sold for an affordable price. A few new American designs were imported, but currency restrictions of the day made them very expensive. In the mid-1950s, the largely agricultural country of New Zealand found itself in need of new aircraft for “topdressing”-spreading soil enhancers and fertilizers by air-what we on this side of the world call “cropdusting.” The old airplanes they had inherited from the British Commonwealth, mostly converted de Havilland Tiger Moths and Piper Cub-like Austers, were wearing out. This geography, and unfettered thinking about the TransAvia AirTruk’s mission, drove the airplane’s unusual appearance. Its conception occurred in Australia, its gestation in New Zealand, and its growth and maturation back in Australia. It is one of the most bizarre looking aircraft ever to reach production.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |