Country of origin:

New Zealand

Description:

Light utility aircraft

Power Plant:

One 560 kw (750 shp) Pratt & Whitney PT6-34 turboprop

Specifications:

History:

The PAC 750 XL was designed and produced by Pacific Aerospace Corp at Hamilton, New Zealand, the company having since 1966 produced over 600 aircraft in a range of designs. The 750XL was designed to meet the utility market where the parachuting industry, and other operators, would benefit from the aircraft’s performance and low operating costs. A development of the Cresco series, which has been in production for over 20 years, the 750XL may be used for cargo operations, medevac, special mission military operations, and passenger work.

Construction is all-metal semi-monocoque, comprising frames and longerons covered by pre-formed aluminium alloy skin. The wings are of single-spar cantilever construction with sheet metal ribs covered by pre-formed aluminium alloy skins, the wing being of full form with a STOL aerofoil section. Slotted flaps are fitted with tip fences to improve aerodynamic control. The aircraft is available with dual flight controls with a removable right-hand control column. Fuel capacity is 940 litres (206 Imp gals) contained in four wing tanks. The undercarriage is fixed tricycle.

Power plant is the Pratt & Whitney PT6-34 driving a three-blade Hartzell fully feathering reversible propeller, this unit having an engine life of 4,000 hours between overhauls. The cabin is 5.41 m (17 ft 9 in) long, 1.39 m (4 ft 7 in) wide, and 1.42 m (4 ft 8 in) high. In the medevac role the aircraft can carry two pilots, three nursing staff and two stretchers; in the passenger role a pilot and nine passengers; and in the skydiving role a pilot and up to 17 parachutists. In the latter role it can climb to 4,267 m (14,000 ft) in 12 minutes.

The prototype (ZK-XLA – c/n 101) was completed in mid 2001 and shown to the press on 19 July 2001 at Hamilton. First flight was on 5 September that year. The type immediately entered production but the first production machine (ZK-UAC – c/n 103) for the Utility Aircraft Corp of California was lost on its delivery flight to the United States.  Most examples are registered to Pacific Aerospace Corporation Ltd initially for testing prior to being flown to their new owners. Initial production aircraft were: ZK- TTL (c/n 104) for Venture Aviation of Taupo; ZK -JPV (c/n 105) delivered to Sydney Skydivers Pty Ltd; and ZK-JPP (c/n 106) for a Swiss skydiving company, Paravia AG in May 2004.  In 2004 an example was shown at the Farnborough Air Show in the UK, and at the Australian International Airshow at Avalon, VIC in March 2005. Production has continued, and by mid 2016 more than 100 examples had been delivered.

In November 2007 a 750XL attended the Dubai air show in the United Arab Emirates, the aircraft setting a record for travelling the longest distance for any aircraft on display at the show, flying more than 16,600 km (10,315 miles) over a period of six days in 59 hours flying time from Hamilton.

A variant of the 750XL flew in 2010, this aircraft, known as the Falco 3000 XL, having a lightweight hopper with a 3,000 litre (660 Imp gal) capacity and a payload of 2,000 kg (4,409 lb) which was developed for Farmers Air of Gisborne, the first such aircraft becoming ZK-XLA. In 2012 PAC obtained certification for the P-750 XSTOL, as it had become known, against the ICAO Annex 6 regulations for Single Engine IFR Commercial Passenger Transport Operations.

Another variant which made its debut at the Africa Aerospace and Defence Exhibition at the Ysterplaat Air Force Base in Cape Town in late 2010 was one of four turbine-powered aircraft which flew from Gauteng to the show in Cape Town using a 100% synthetic jet fuel produced by Sasol. This aircraft was a surveillance model and was developed by Pretoria-based Carl Zeiss Optronics, National Airways Corporation of Lanseria Airport, and Global Composite solutions in Pretoria. The system is installed in an under-slung pod fitted to the aircraft and has an LEO-II-A5-EP airborne observation system and Trakka beam search light. This system enhances the aircraft’s ability to perform long-range search and rescue, surveillance, reconnaissance and other observation missions.

In 2015 a P750XL was sold in China, said to be the 100th built, where it was converted into an un-manned civil aircraft ;by Star UAV in conjunction wi6h a number of Chinese aeronaut9cal organisations, the aircraft becoming known as the AT-200. It was used to trial UAVs for SF Expresss, a Chinese courier company. The AT-200 was launched at the 2017 Zhuhai Air Show.  One report stated the aircraft was destroyee in a landing accident in October 2019.

In late 2015 Beijing Navigation Changzhou Aircraft Industry Co Ltd (NCAG) announced it was constructing a facility at Changzhou to build the PAC 750XL and indicated it had plans to produce 70 examples a year for the Chinese market.

In early 2016 the 100th production aircraft attended the Singapore Air Show, the aircraft being demonstrated before continuing to Beijing, China. Shortly thereafter the Papua New Guinea Defence Force ordered three examples, at the same time ordering two PAC CT-4 Airtrainers. At that time 16 examples of the 750XL were in operation with six operators in that country.

In 2016 the aircraft was being marketed as the P750XSTOL in a number of configurations: passenger, freight, skydiving, agricultural, aerial survey and surveillance. The machine was known as excelling in operations from rough, unpaved airstrips and was available with a Wide Tyre modification. In the passenger role it could carry up to nine passengers. There is also an optional 454 kg (1,000 lb) capacity cargo pod available for installation under the aircraft’s belly. Work was continuing in 2016 on developing a Defender II variant for COIN and light attack operations. It is noteworthy the first military application of the type was an example supplied to the United Arab Emirates Air Force.

In early 2017 PAC announced it had delivered twelve 750s during 2016, planned to double output during 2017 to 25 units, and to double it again in 2019. Reference was made to the joint venture with Beijing General Aviation Co, kits being supplied to that Company’s facility in Changzhou for assembly and delivery to Chinese customers.

One example (ZK-KNS – c/n 200) was first registered on 10 November 2015 to Pacfic Aerospace Ltd of Hamilton but was struck off the register on 11 November 2016. Sold in China, it became B-10HE on 7 November 2016 to Starlink Business Aviation Ltd and was converted to AT-200 drone configuration.  First flown on 26 November 2017 it was destroyed in an accident in October 2019.

In late 2021 Pacific Aerospace restarted production under new owners, trading as Smart Aviation Asia – Pacific commencing production to meet new orders.