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.
Update First Quarter 2023
We are at the end of the first quarter of 2023. It’s been a hard time for so many in NZ with Cyclone Gabrielle and the ongoing fallout from the last few years. Flight Structures have been extremely busy with work including:
Certification support on major projects;
Prototyping and development for Aero Medical work;
Ongoing aircraft development projects;
Production of aero medical and role equipment.
We have updated our website with a “Products in Stock” section, check it out here. We have also had a new Graduate Engineer join the team and a new CNC Programmer and Operator. You can check out the full team here.
There’s been a lot happening behind the scenes too with a new inventory system, ongoing internal training and we are starting to think about our 20 year celebration in October 2023. As we start to look back here are a few images (from social occasions) from the last 20 years with more to come.
Christmas Closedown 2022
Flight Structures will be closed for two weeks from 23rd December 2022, reopening on Monday 9th January 2023. It’s the best time for staff to get together with their whanau and regroup. It’s been a good year for Flight Structures in 2022, with lots of achievements and progress on major projects. But it has not been easy - sickness, supply chain delays and change have made us more than ready to take a break.
Wishing all our clients, suppliers and partners all the best for a safe, happy holiday and a prosperous 2023.
Type Certificate Amendment for Glass Cockpit on 750XL
Flight Structures is proud to announce that the 750XL EFIS system (glass cockpit) has been approved by CAA NZ Type Certificate Amendment.
This system is a full glass cockpit consisting of a Garmin G600TXi, GTN750 and 750 Navigation and Communications units, MVP-50T Engine Instrument, and a MD302 Standby Attitude Module.
We congratulate NZ Skydive Ltd (manufacturers of 750XL aircraft) on reaching this milestone and thank the Civil Aviation Authority for their support to see the project through to completion.
Flight Structures has managed the design office for NZ Skydive Ltd since mid-2021 . Well done to our team, and to all involved at all stages of the project to get to this point.
Items in Stock
As of early November 2022 Flight Structures has the following items in stock or within a week of being completed:
BK117
Snowshoes
3 Pax High Density Seat
AW169
RULS Stretcher Loading System
Free Standing Rack
THRULS Trolley
750XL
Vortex Generators
Drive Shaft Assemblies (Wet or dry spine)
Please contact Sally at Flight Structures if you need any further information about these products, or would like a quote.
Professional Development for NZ Aerospace Engineers
During 2021, Flight Structures took over the responsibility of running the monthly Continued Professional Development (CPD) Zoom sessions for New Zealand Aerospace Engineers, as part of the Royal Aeronautical Society (RaeS) New Zealand Division.
These presentations have covered a range of topics with a main focus on subject areas within aviation. The aim of the sessions is to educate the wider NZ Aerospace community on current and future advancements happening within the industry.
Since the start of 2022, we have had a range of different presentations:
Gary Freedman from Electric Air informed the audience about his Pipistrel Alpha Electro which he recently used to set the record for the first person to fly across New Zealand’s Cook Strait in an electric plane.
Akesh, a PhD student from RMIT University, shared his research into 3D Printed Aircraft Components and the wide range of uses these will have for aircraft in the future.
X-Aerodynamics founder, Cameron Garner, explained the process of creating a virtual model of an aircraft that can then be used in simulations to provide accurate data for companies trialing new aircraft designs.
The potential of using Solar Powered UAVs to capture high resolution, low cost, aerial images on a frequent basis, was explained by Mark Rocket, CEO of Kea Aerospace.
Colin and Freeman from Aeronavics, a drone company based in Timaru, informed the CPD attendees about their developments in the commercial drone space.
Seagliders are an exciting potential contender in the future of the New Zealand transport industry. Shah and John from Ocean Flyer presented their case for the REGENT Seagliders that they’re bringing to our shores in 2025.
The CPD sessions are held monthly. The team at Flight Structures are grateful to Hemi who has taken on this role and done an excellent job. If you are interested in attending or presenting at a future CPD session, feel free to email Hemi for more information
First Flight for Pacific Aerospace SuperPac XL501
It was an exciting day yesterday for Pacific Aerospace with the first flight of ZK-EPO - SuperPac XL501. There’s been a lot of hard work by many people to get to this point - the team at NZSkydive, the Flight Structures staff , and the CAANZ Certification and Airworthiness Group.
First Flight
ZK-EPO First landing
Design and Certification of ADS-B Out for the MOD and NZDF
Flight Structures is approaching the conclusion of a project with the Ministry of Defence and NZ Defence Force to design and certify a transponder system with ADS-B Out (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast) capability for the A109LUH(NZ) Aircraft. ADS-B Out allows aircraft to broadcast their identification, position, altitude and velocity to other aircraft and Air Traffic Control.
Flight Structures were successful in their bid for the project in 2021, and the installation programme is taking place throughout 2022. The project included our engineers designing and providing all certification documents to the New Zealand Defence Authority for approval. It was the first time a CAANZ Approved, Part 146 organisation, has been used for a project of this nature.
Thank you to the following key Flight Structures staff: Duncan Wollen, Adrian Dalton, Hemi Jones, Clyde James, Ted McCullough and Brett Purchase.
Photo is sourced from: https://www.nzdf.mil.nz/nzdf/our-equipment/aircraft/a109-light-utility-helicopter
BNZ Corporate Challenge 2022
Flight Structures bravely entered two teams in the BNZ Corporate Challenge in 2022 at the Grassroots Velodrome - doing any event and committing to it in the age of Covid takes courage. We entered an experienced team in the Cambridge Pursuit, and a team of new velodrome riders in the Italian Pursuit. Flight Structures were joined by three staff from Pacific Aerospace in this team event.
In the end we did have a couple of staff unable to ride due to sickness, so our reserve rider was busy, and another rider had to double up and race in both teams.
In the end we ended up with a 5th and a 6th placing, and to my eye, we had the best looking team in the sharpest most 2022 uniforms.
Well done to all the team - Hemi, Adam, Jon, Lucas, Scott, Steve, Clyde and Ray.
