Country of origin:

New Zealand

Description:

Two-seat civil and military ab-initio trainer

Power Plant:

One 157 kw (210 hp) Rolls Royce/Continental IO-360-H six-cylinder horizontally-opposed air-cooled engine

Specifications:

History:

The Airtrainer was evolved by Aero Engine Services Ltd (as it then was) of Hamilton, NZ, from the four-seat Victa Aircruiser (VH-MVR), which was designed by the late Henry Millicer for Victa Ltd. The aircraft was re-designed for military work in the training role and was re-stressed to +6/3G limits. The prototype flew for the first time on 21 February 1972, and production deliveries commenced during the following year.

The first aircraft for the RAAF (A19-027) was received in January 1975. Some delay occurred in deliveries due to modifications required by that service, the completion of fatigue testing, and some problems encountered with the wing skin during early flight testing. Designed primarily as a military trainer, 37 CT-4A Airtrainers were procured for the RAAF from those initially produced (A19-027 to A19-063). In addition 24 were obtained for the Royal Thai Air Force, nineteen CT-4Bs (serials NZ1930 to NZ1948) for the RNZAF, and three for the Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force. One aircraft (ZK-DGY) was used as a demonstrator.

The CT-4 was introduced into RAAF service to replace the CAC Winjeel and the majority were attached to RAAF Point Cook, VIC although one was assigned to the Aircraft Research and Development Unit (ARDU). The CT-4 was a cantilever low-wing monoplane of all-metal construction with a stressed-skin semi-monocoque fuselage and a non-retractable tricycle undercarriage. It had detachable spoiler strips on the leading-edges of the outboard wing panels, carried only when the aircraft was engaged on spinning exercises. Wingtip auxiliary tanks holding 59 litres (13 Imp gals) were optional. RAAF serials coincided with the aircraft’s construction number.

In 1973 New Zealand Aerospace Industries (NZAI) was formed by the amalgamation of Aero Engines Services and Air Parts (NZ). Thereafter the Airtrainer became known as the NZAI CT-4 Airtrainer. In 1982 the Company became known as Pacific Aerospace Corporation. Some 14 Airtrainers were also built for Rhodesia but, owing to New Zealand Government policy, were never delivered and were stored for some years. In 1981 they were obtained for the RAAF (serials A19-064 to A19-077), thus allowing the life of the RAAF’s aircraft to be extended until the introduction into service of the Pilatus PC-9, ordered in July 1986. Following the withdrawal from RAAF service of the type, 55 were auctioned to the general aviation industry and sold.

Three were exported to the USA (A19-035, A19-044 and A19-066) and two to New Zealand (A19-055 and A19-042), the latter two becoming ZK-CTA and ZK-LJH, two went to the RAAF Museum (A19-027 and A19-077), and the remainder went to Australian owners. Fourty have appeared on the Australian Civil Register.

Three were lost in accidents during RAAF service (A19-028, A19-057 and A19-067). One (A19-033) was placed in storage for eventual display in the National Aerospace Museum. Flight training for the RAAF and RAN pilots began at Tamworth, NSW at the BAe Flight Training facility where pilots did a 26 week, 99 hour, ab initio course on that organisation’s CT-4Bs before moving on to the PC-9 at No 2 Flying Training School at Pearce, WA.

In 1998 the RNZAF replaced its CT-4Bs with 13 new CT-4E aircraft, these being obtained on lease from Aeromotive and being based at Ohakea. The CT-4Bs were then overhauled by the manufacturer and four converted for civil use, one (NZ1948) being placed on display at Air Force World at Wigram. The others were sold in Australia where they joined 12 previously obtained CT-4Bs with the Ansett/British Aerospace College at Tamworth. The college later became known as the Australian Air Academy and had one CT-4A (VH-YBD – c/n 050) and 12 CT-4Bs (VH-YCA to VH-YCM – c/ns 097 to 108).

Three CT-4Bs appeared on the New Zealand register, ZK-JMF (c/n 86), ZK-JMN (c/n 81) and ZK-JMV (c/n 83), the first two with Massey University School of Aviation at Palmerston North, and the latter with Tauranga Aircraft Holdings.

A further batch of 14 CT-4Es was built, commencing in mid-1999, for the Royal Thai Air Force and these, like all CT-4s built, were placed on the New Zealand register temporarily during testing before being delivered. The CT-4E was fitted with a 224 kw (300 hp) Textron Lycoming AEIO-540-L1E5 engine.

In 1991 PAC received an ex-RAAF CT-4A (A19-065) and this was rebuilt as the CT-4C prototype, becoming ZK-EUM on 13 November 1991. It was fitted with a 298 kw (400 shp) Allison 250-B17 turboprop and did some testing but later reverted to a piston engine. Another proposal was the CT-4CR, which would also have had an Allison turboprop and would have been fitted with an electrically-operated retractable undercarriage

A CT-4E was entered for the USAF EFS contract for a military trainer but was unsuccessful. Production continued as required, mainly for overseas military markets. In 2013 the CT-4Es of the Royal Thai Air Force were retired and a number were sold to civilian operators, two being imported to an operator at Camden, NSW. In early 2015, upon the introduction into service of the type’s replacement, the Beech T-6C Texan II, into RNZAF service, the surviving CT-4Es which had been on lease to the RNZAF for training duties were returned to the lease company, were placed on the NZ Civil Aircraft Register, and were offered for sale.

At the time of the Singapore Air Show in early 2016 the Papua New Guinea Defence Force announced it had ordered two examples of the CT-4 for training operations.

In early 2020 ST Aero, the aerospace arm of Singapore Technologies, announced it was taking over the basic training of future pilots for the Singapore Air Force, the company taking over approximately ten of the AESL CT-4s that had been previously operated by BAe Systems at Tamworth for pilot training.