Transavia PL-12 Airtruk

Transavia PL-12 Airtruk
Paese	Australia
Ruolo	Aeromobili agricoli
Primo volo	2 aprile 1965
Costruito	138

Le Transavia PL-12 Airtruk è un aereo agricolo monomotore progettato e costruito dalla Transavia Corporation in Australia. L'Airtruk è un sesquiplano rinforzato con montante a spalla e ala di costruzione interamente in metallo, con la cabina di pilotaggio montata sopra un motore raffreddato ad aria a cilindro contrapposto con posizione del trattore e fusoliera corta con portellone posteriore. La carenatura del motore, la fusoliera posteriore e il piano di calpestio superiore sono in vetroresina. Ha un carrello triciclo, le cui unità principali sono trasportate sulle ali inferiori del sesquiplano. Ha due bracci di coda con due code non collegate. Il suo primo volo avvenne il 22 aprile 1965 e fu certificato il 10 febbraio 1966.

fonte: Transavia PL-12 Airtruk su Wikipedia

Transavia PL12 Airtruck Walk Around
Photographer	Vladimir Yakubov
Localisation	Museum of Transport and Technology, Auckland, New Zealand
Photos	94

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Unique Design and Characteristics

The Transavia PL-12 Airtruk, often cited as one of the world’s most bizarre-looking aircraft, is a rugged Australian-built agricultural plane designed by Luigi Pellarini. Its unconventional layout is a direct result of its specialized mission requirements for crop dusting and topdressing.

Unconventional Fuselage: Features a short, stubby pod fuselage centered around the chemical hopper/tank. The pilot’s cockpit is high-mounted above the engine, providing exceptional forward and downward visibility and enhancing pilot safety by placing them above the heavy engine and hopper in the event of a crash.
Twin Tail Booms: The most distinguishing feature is the twin tail booms supporting unconnected tails (fins and rudders). This design allows a loading truck to back up between the booms to quickly fill the hopper, even with the engine running, which significantly reduces turnaround time. It also keeps corrosive chemicals away from the tail structure.
Sesquiplane Wing: The aircraft is technically a sesquiplane, meaning it has one main wing (shoulder-mounted) and a much smaller lower wing (stub wings) which primarily serve to mount the main landing gear.
Multi-Role Capability: Although primarily an agricultural aircraft, a utility variant (PL-12U) was developed for cargo, air ambulance, aerial survey, and even to ferry up to five passengers (one in the upper cockpit, four in the lower cabin behind the hopper).

Specifications and Performance (PL-12/T-300 Variant)

Property	Valore
Ruolo	Agricultural/Utility Aircraft
Produttore	Transavia Corporation (Australia)
Equipaggio	1 pilot
Capacity (Ag)	910 kg (2,000 lb) dry chemicals / 818 L (216 US gal) liquids
Motopropulsore	1 Rolls-Royce/Continental IO-520-D (or Lycoming IO-540) flat-six piston engine, 300 hp
Max Takeoff Weight (Agricultural)	1,855 kg (4,090 lb)
Max Cruise Speed	176 km/h (95 knots) at 75% power
Stall Speed (Flaps Down)	96 km/h (52 knots)
Rate of Climb	3.05 m/s (600 ft/min)
Gamma	Approximately 1,296 km (700 NM)