I love those things .....kind of like a nose dragger Porter,alot easier to find a pilot to drive it than for a porter.Done a few jumps out of them as well....I think it would make a really cool personal backcountry machine

Kinda like a low wing Cessna Caravan. I would think a high wing would be better for operating out of rough strips. Better for float operations too.

Maybe just go with a turbine Otter like quite a few of the companies in the north use. Already a proven platform.

AKGrouch wrote:Maybe just go with a turbine Otter like quite a few of the companies in the north use. Already a proven platform.

60 years with the same basic airframe, operated off predominantly unimproved strips, might qualify.

http://www.aerospace.co.nz/company/history

This aircraft was born of the Cresco, which in turn was born of the Fletcher FU-24. Both long-serving Ag aircraft.

Yeah, it'll be dandy . . . just as soon as they move the wing to the top and put the tailwheel where it belongs.
Until then, I guess it makes a good jump plane.

bumper

Looks like someone grafted a Caravan nose onto a Cherokee 6 fuselage with a PC-6 tail and zero-taper Jodel wings.

Your basic Frankenplane.

Has sticks not yokes! Yeah!

DonC wrote:http://www.utilityaircraft.com/

There's one dropping skydivers here in Boulder City,NV.

140kts. seems pretty slow for 50 gal./hr. of kerosene.

gb

They have 2 of 'em at Yolo County (KDWA) as well, I talked with one of the drivers one day at the fuel pump. Definitely is a great skydiving platform - Theirs have remote jump door actuators. I am continually amazed at how fast those things come down.

As a bush plane, though, other than they look hell for stout I'm not so sure how they'd compare with a Kodiak, for example. They don't appear to get off very quick, even lightly loaded (5-6 jumpers). Looks about like what a Caravan can do, on and off. Maybe that's because they have 6000 feet to play with at KDWA.

Flynengr

I dont think the wing will clear the mail box at the end of the road. Kind of sucks if you cant get it in the yard. The -34 engine is 850 hp ($400,000) I think, that should make any aircraft a short take-off (STO).

I guess 750 means 750hp.