I had to get my pitot static system tested and parked next to this turbo-prop from Austrailia. It is a jump plane, and the horizontal lines on the fuselage are for a roll-up door that the jumpers exit out of. After passing my pitot static tests, I was getting ready to fly home, but this plane was loading the jumpers and I thought I'd wait to see how it did on takeoff. There were ~ 10 people in the plane, but it levitated like a stripped super cub at the Valdez STOL contest. Impressive. Anybody know what this is? It has a lot of dihedral on the outboard section of the wings.

Congratulations - you just made the classic 'Merican mistake of confusing Australia with New Zealand!

The Cresco is an extremely capable aircraft, and serves and number of roles. They are common in New Zealand.

Here is one of the more recognisable ones...





Despite what the 2nd picture may show - No it does not have retractable undercarriage.

My apologies to the great pilots and engineers of New Zealand for calling this an Australian plane. I spoke briefly with the pilot who was from Australia and I just jumped to the conclusion that was where the plane was from. The URL for the aircraft makes it sounds pretty amazing for a plane with its useful load. I couldn't afford the fuel let alone the capital cost, but beasts like this are fun to admire from the sidelines.

This is an odd Australian aircraft:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transavia_PL-12_Airtruk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4jEwMYAML0

Oh my, that Airtruk is one sad looking little airplane! I understand even better why folks from New Zealand would take offense at having one of their marginally different aircraft referred to as an odd Aussi plane. Again, my sincere apologies! I will likely have bad dreams of my Maule morphing into an Airtruk!

Just joking mate - no offense taken!

If you Youtube the "Healthy Bastard's" Bush Pilot Champs (NZ verson of Valdez ) you'll see a Cresco competing against the Cessna's, Maules, and Cubs (probably right at the end, it was last to fly along with the Grand Caravan).

They showed a few 185's how it's done, no contest against the smaller planes - but given the sheer size and weight of the Cresco the performance is pretty impressive all the same.

Just a small correction, the original pic and the Taupo pink skydive aircraft, are both PAC 750XLs (the pink one diving vertically is a cresco), which are derived from the Cresco 750, which in turn comes from the Fletcher 950/954 series. The Turbine Ag machine (ZK-EML) in Bush Pilots Omaka, is a Walter powered version of the Fletcher 954.
Cheers.

I have a few hours up in the non turbine version of the pac 750, the fletcher, a sheer delight to fly! just does not feel even close to a plane as large as it is! that said though I have been up in air trucks a couple of times to, and while its so ugly it even makes me look good (i try and stand near them whenever the ladys are around ) the way fly fly is incredible! there brilliant little aeroplanes.

Timbo