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PL 11 Airtruck, Kowhitirangi.1966.
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DescriptionPL 11 Airtruck, The second of two topdressing aircraft manufactured in New Zealand. Photographed at farm airstrip at Kowhiterangi in 1966.
Clint Eves
The Forest Service tried them in 1972 (give or take a year) on the Kaiangaroa airstrip for 1080 work, but we could not get it to hold a consistant calibration, you could get it right one day, and the next with different weather and wind, it was all to hell. I seem to remember it was put down to it's inability to maintain constant airspeed, and for the calibration reason it did not get used by us for spraying, which was its main reason for being on trial with us. It shure did make a name on fertaliser work, where the constant speed did not matter. It was unusual to fly in, and I would say it was more like a helecopter than a fixed wing, but still very enjoyable and safe feeling, with the difference. Yes I hope one has been saved as well.Date of Photo1966Map[1] ContributorCraig Angela Bell
Clint Eves
The Forest Service tried them in 1972 (give or take a year) on the Kaiangaroa airstrip for 1080 work, but we could not get it to hold a consistant calibration, you could get it right one day, and the next with different weather and wind, it was all to hell. I seem to remember it was put down to it's inability to maintain constant airspeed, and for the calibration reason it did not get used by us for spraying, which was its main reason for being on trial with us. It shure did make a name on fertaliser work, where the constant speed did not matter. It was unusual to fly in, and I would say it was more like a helecopter than a fixed wing, but still very enjoyable and safe feeling, with the difference. Yes I hope one has been saved as well.Date of Photo1966Map[1] ContributorCraig Angela Bell
Shown in this image
Location (city or town)KowhitirangiEventPL 11 AirtruckaeroplanePlane
From Facebook
Date Created28th September 2020CommentsAlex Wa
God that is a good looking plane!! . I hope one is preserved. So everyone can bask in its beauty
Bob Broadhurst
The Sunfish lol .... i remember one of them operating around Kaikoura back in the 80's
ugly af eh
What ever happened to them? were they not a roaring success?
Stu McConchie
Wow I never knew they were built here. Thts awesome.
Greg Mait
Yeah I remember that flying brick. bloody good design for purpose.
John Kerr
Camelback?
Craig Angela Bell
John Kerr Yes, Craig Angela Bell
Jason Wilson
Mark Ralfe
Arthur Bass
Is there one of these in the Len Southward Museum ?
Craig Angela Bell
Arthur Bass Maybe, I believe they both crashed according to Google.
Craig Angela Bell I am sure ? I have seen one of them in a collection zomewhere.
John Kerr
They led to the very successful Transavia Airtruk.
Mata Holliday
Were the air trucks built in Te Kuiti? Remember seeing them topdressing up there.
John Kerr
Apparently it was in Hokitika with Rural Aviation doing poison baiting. The article I found said rabbits? Probably possums. It was doing high altitude trials, but doesn't sound like it had a great rate of climb at 5000ft. It first flew in March 1965 and crashed in a fatal accident at Tangiwha Maungakaramea on take off March 1967. Luigi Pellarini was the designer. They only built two prototypes using some Harvard parts, engine, canopy, plus a few other bits. Plenty of surplus Harvards around in those days. Both eventually crashed, certainly not because of bad design. Think they ran out of funds, then the idea was carried on in Australia and 118 rolled off the assembly line.
· Reply · 17h
Garry Dunn
To be seen starring in the Mad Max movie?
John Kerr
That would be one of the later Transavia Airtruks.
Tony Threlkeld
An ag pilot who was a school friend of mine was killed in an accident near Culverden in 1982, Nigel Bary, the plane being a Transavia PL-12 Airtruk.
Clint Eves
The Forest Service tried them in 1972 (give or take a year) on the Kaiangaroa airstrip for 1080 work, but we could not get it to hold a consistant calibration, you could get it right one day, and the next with different weather and wind, it was all to hell. I seem to remember it was put down to it's inability to maintain constant airspeed, and for the calibration reason it did not get used by us for spraying, which was its main reason for being on trial with us. It shure did make a name on fertaliser work, where the constant speed did not matter. It was unusual to fly in, and I would say it was more like a helecopter than a fixed wing, but still very enjoyable and safe feeling, with the difference. Yes I hope one has been saved as well.
Bob Maxwell
There is one in the Ashburton Aviation Musuem but it has a later engine
Allan Gordon
The Airtruck was manufactured in Te Kuiti, a small King Country town. The town where I now live and where I went to High School.
Mata Holliday
Allan Gordon Yes I come from Te Kuiti and would see the 'air trucks' flying over dropping their loads on the surrounding hills.
Gregory Ross
We did a big NZFS 1080 drop from that strip in winter of 1984. using two conventional top-dressing planes, which took our ground crew of 10 NZFS employees, plus the two pilots, 10 days to perform, to cover the whole Whitcombe Valley. I also worked in the pre-drop and post-drop line surveys of possum poop counting in the rugged alpine forest there, going out into the bush daily from Wilkinson Hut during that winter. Quite an operation, and in those days nobody protested about 1080 use.
John Canon
a few Harvard bits involved ?
Royce Flynn
I think I have see it at FerrymeadJohn Kelly
It's kind of cool in an ugly sort of way
John Kelly yes
Gary Cody
John Britten was the only NZ engineer that built anything with wheels that was recognised internationally RIP John
Peter Tutty
Gary Cody, Bruce McLaren - Formula 1 and CanAm constructor and driver.
Gary Cody
Peter Tutty True However had a huge team of consultants (like Jacinda) and other engineers when he went to the UK. George Begg was another good one as a one man band. John had some mates to help but all his concept
Karol London
My Father, Neil Johnstone, was the test pilot for the Airtruck in NZ and in NSW. Luigi Pellerini designed it. He told me that the design evolved because of the tendency of more conventional aircraft to flatten when they hit a hillside when topdressing. The Airtruck was designed to roll.
Derious Worgan
Worked on a farm in Culverden in the 1980's when one of these planes crashed. Nigel Barry was killed not a pretty site.
God that is a good looking plane!! . I hope one is preserved. So everyone can bask in its beauty
Bob Broadhurst
The Sunfish lol .... i remember one of them operating around Kaikoura back in the 80's
ugly af eh
What ever happened to them? were they not a roaring success?
Stu McConchie
Wow I never knew they were built here. Thts awesome.
Greg Mait
Yeah I remember that flying brick. bloody good design for purpose.
John Kerr
Camelback?
Craig Angela Bell
John Kerr Yes, Craig Angela Bell
Jason Wilson
Mark Ralfe
Arthur Bass
Is there one of these in the Len Southward Museum ?
Craig Angela Bell
Arthur Bass Maybe, I believe they both crashed according to Google.
Craig Angela Bell I am sure ? I have seen one of them in a collection zomewhere.
John Kerr
They led to the very successful Transavia Airtruk.
Mata Holliday
Were the air trucks built in Te Kuiti? Remember seeing them topdressing up there.
John Kerr
Apparently it was in Hokitika with Rural Aviation doing poison baiting. The article I found said rabbits? Probably possums. It was doing high altitude trials, but doesn't sound like it had a great rate of climb at 5000ft. It first flew in March 1965 and crashed in a fatal accident at Tangiwha Maungakaramea on take off March 1967. Luigi Pellarini was the designer. They only built two prototypes using some Harvard parts, engine, canopy, plus a few other bits. Plenty of surplus Harvards around in those days. Both eventually crashed, certainly not because of bad design. Think they ran out of funds, then the idea was carried on in Australia and 118 rolled off the assembly line.
· Reply · 17h
Garry Dunn
To be seen starring in the Mad Max movie?
John Kerr
That would be one of the later Transavia Airtruks.
Tony Threlkeld
An ag pilot who was a school friend of mine was killed in an accident near Culverden in 1982, Nigel Bary, the plane being a Transavia PL-12 Airtruk.
Clint Eves
The Forest Service tried them in 1972 (give or take a year) on the Kaiangaroa airstrip for 1080 work, but we could not get it to hold a consistant calibration, you could get it right one day, and the next with different weather and wind, it was all to hell. I seem to remember it was put down to it's inability to maintain constant airspeed, and for the calibration reason it did not get used by us for spraying, which was its main reason for being on trial with us. It shure did make a name on fertaliser work, where the constant speed did not matter. It was unusual to fly in, and I would say it was more like a helecopter than a fixed wing, but still very enjoyable and safe feeling, with the difference. Yes I hope one has been saved as well.
Bob Maxwell
There is one in the Ashburton Aviation Musuem but it has a later engine
Allan Gordon
The Airtruck was manufactured in Te Kuiti, a small King Country town. The town where I now live and where I went to High School.
Mata Holliday
Allan Gordon Yes I come from Te Kuiti and would see the 'air trucks' flying over dropping their loads on the surrounding hills.
Gregory Ross
We did a big NZFS 1080 drop from that strip in winter of 1984. using two conventional top-dressing planes, which took our ground crew of 10 NZFS employees, plus the two pilots, 10 days to perform, to cover the whole Whitcombe Valley. I also worked in the pre-drop and post-drop line surveys of possum poop counting in the rugged alpine forest there, going out into the bush daily from Wilkinson Hut during that winter. Quite an operation, and in those days nobody protested about 1080 use.
John Canon
a few Harvard bits involved ?
Royce Flynn
I think I have see it at FerrymeadJohn Kelly
It's kind of cool in an ugly sort of way
John Kelly yes
Gary Cody
John Britten was the only NZ engineer that built anything with wheels that was recognised internationally RIP John
Peter Tutty
Gary Cody, Bruce McLaren - Formula 1 and CanAm constructor and driver.
Gary Cody
Peter Tutty True However had a huge team of consultants (like Jacinda) and other engineers when he went to the UK. George Begg was another good one as a one man band. John had some mates to help but all his concept
Karol London
My Father, Neil Johnstone, was the test pilot for the Airtruck in NZ and in NSW. Luigi Pellerini designed it. He told me that the design evolved because of the tendency of more conventional aircraft to flatten when they hit a hillside when topdressing. The Airtruck was designed to roll.
Derious Worgan
Worked on a farm in Culverden in the 1980's when one of these planes crashed. Nigel Barry was killed not a pretty site.
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West Coast New Zealand History (23rd May 2022). PL 11 Airtruck, Kowhitirangi.1966.. In Website West Coast New Zealand History. Retrieved 13th Apr 2026 09:21, from https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/28483