by Neville Dawson

ARMIDALE, AUSTRALIA- The first Pacific Aerospace-built Cresco operating in

its traditional topdressing role was a big buying decision for Australian

Superair's General Manager, Dave Boundy. Since 1966 Superair has been

well-serviced by the Fletcher airframe with the first model a 300 hp

version. Four years later the company added it first 400 hp aircraft to the

fleet. Over the years, the workload had increased to the point where a

replacement for the Fletchers was needed.

"We had been looking closely for a new addition to the fleet over the past

few months that included the Garrett-powered Stallion, the Walter-powered

Fletcher, the Garrett-powered Thrush and the PT-6 Cresco. When it came down

to the crunch we opted for the Cresco," said Boundy. At first Boundy wasn't

sure if they wanted the dual control model, but after some thought decided

it would allow them to train their own pilots rather than having to send

pilots to New Zealand for training.

The Cresco was ferried from New Zealand by renowned Kiwi ferry pilot Kelvin

Stark. Upon arrival it was painted in Superair colors and converted to the

Australian registry.

"The Cresco is the nicest ag aircraft I have ever flown. Its visibility is

second to none and its performance flying out of some of the strips we have

is exceptional," commented Chief Pilot and Ops Manager Peter Elliott. Peter

is no stranger to the ag aviation industry having logged over 26,000 hours,

the majority of this ag work.

"Pete has been the backbone of Superair and has been working with

Superair's growers for over 31 years," added Boundy. In fact one would

assume this might be why the Cresco bears his initials as its registration

VH-PGE.

"We are very pleased with the Cresco's performance to date. We actually

found a power lever rigging problem that after correction yielded an

additional 30 hp from the engine. Also, we have found that some of our high

altitude airstrips affect the aircraft's performance as it also does with a

normally aspirated engine," Boundy added.

One of the best advantages of the Cresco is its readily available power.

"On one particular strip, some 600 meters (2,000 feet) in length, we

couldn't operate the Fletcher with any more than about 12 to 15 knots of

tailwind, but this didn't even bother the Cresco. In fact it was

interesting to watch the Cresco as it came off the end of the strip.

Usually with a Fletcher it will struggle to get airborne and drop

considerably once it cleared the end of the strip, but with the Cresco it

just continued to climb around 600 to 700 fpm," explained Boundy.

One of the major drawbacks of operating in this region of Australia,

especially during the summer months, is the incredible heat. On one strip

where this author visited to watch the Cresco work it was 30°C (86°F). The

airstrip was 4500 feet MSL equating to a density altitude of around 5800

feet and yet the Cresco still hauled load after load.

"We always do trials and tests to see what sort of swath patterns the

aircraft have under different conditions," said Boundy, reflecting on how

Superair set up their aircraft. The hoppers on the Fletchers are mostly

Kiwi designed ones, but Superair has started redesigning them to suit their

operations. "We find that we can make slight refinements to them that will

positively affect our operations," said Boundy.

The major benefit of the Cresco is its productivity, which is roughly 100%

over the standard Fletcher. This, in theory, should allow the redundancy of

two Fletchers, but then again the Cresco cannot be in two places at once.

The northern tablelands of New South Wales, as far as primary producers are

concerned, is one of the most productive for fine wool, fat lambs and

cattle grazing. Therefore, ensuring their properties are well looked after

is a number one priority. There are five other competitive operators in the

surrounding region, but Superair carries out a larger portion of the

available tonnage that has to be spread. Over the last fifteen years the

company has spread approximately 450,000 tons.

With more than 28,000 square miles to cover in this Northern Tablelands

region, Superair has strategically placed a number of bases at Tamworth,

Glen Innes, Guyra, as well as home base operations out of Armidale airport.

"Our operations basically start around the Queensland border to the north

and stretch south to Willow Tree which is just south of Tamworth. East-West

wise it borders from about Narrabri across to the coastline. As you can

see, it is quite a large area," Boundy added. The distances to ferry

aircraft before starting the day's work can be anywhere between one or two

kilometers on the close jobs to as far away as 70 kilometers.

Superair's coverage in not just in New South Wales, in fact they have a

Fletcher and Cessna Ag Truck based in Tasmania. These are primarily used

for spraying. "Fire bombing is another aspect of our work that is

increasing as time goes by," Elliott explained. In addition, the company

has been called on more than once to undertake the geophysical survey role,

the latest one involving a Fletcher in remote parts of Canada.

When you look at the diversity of Superair's operations you would expect a

large staff. Well, not here. Operations are conducted with six pilots, six

loader drivers, two ladies handling administrative duties, one who looks

after the engine overhaul shop and seven engineering staff. "I have to

admit we have a great team here, working well together," Elliot claims.

Even though the pilots tend to work very long hours during the busy season,

their daily records are kept track of thanks to an efficient office staff

ensuring that none of the pilots, Boundy and Elliott included, exceed the

Australian Civil Aviation's mandatory flight hour limitations.

For an ag operation such as Superair, maintenance is an important facet;

being able to take care of your own aircraft is a big plus. "We undertake

nearly all of our own maintenance as well as servicing aircraft for both

individuals and companies in Northern New South Wales and Southern

Queensland," explained the Chief Engineer. Overhauls of the Cresco's PT-6

powerplant will have to be done out of the shop, probably with Eastern

Australia Air Lines. However, day-to-day maintenance of the PT-6 can be

done in-house, thanks to the recent addition of Merv Johnson, a licensed

PT-6 engineer.

The Cresco is a huge step forward for Superair Australia. "The aircraft's

proven Pratt & Whitney PT-6 power plant is superb, but the Cresco's

airframe needs a few modifications to enable it to be more robust,

especially in the empennage and the nose wheel steering, which we will

carry out. When Superair started using Fletchers, they increased the hopper

size from 38 to 43 cubic feet. They would also like to eventually increase

the hopper size of the Cresco, but at this stage it serves its purpose

adequately. Also, the standard clamshell linkages afford no feel to the

pilot as to the hopper contents level. Superair is addressing this problem.

Another problem area we have encountered is the power output versus

altitude calculations published in the pilot's handbook," stated Boundy.

However, as one can expect, these are just teething problems that Superair

will work towards sorting out.

An area of potential growth in Australia for the Cresco is firebombing.

Bernie Haskell, who used to operate Jetspread Aviation at Taupo in New

Zealand, conducted a number of trials from which he built a special fire

door for the Cresco. This enabled it to become a very effective fire

bomber. With New South Wales prone to serious fire outbreaks, there is a

need for an aircraft that can carry a lot of water and dump it where it is

needed. "Another possibility for the future is engine conversions for the

Fletchers. In that regard, we are watching closely the developments of

NZ-based Superair and their conversion of Fletchers to Walter-powered

turbines," Boundy explained.

Although the application area covered by Superair is quite large, the

general consensus is there wouldn't be enough work for two Cresco's. This

is why the option of a Fletcher conversion is a realistic one. However,

there are no plans at this time to replace the 400 hp Ag Truck based in

Tasmania. It is well-suited to the average paddock size that are

spread/sprayed in Tasmania. In addition, it has a common engine with the

Fletcher enabling the same spare parts inventory, keeping costs down.

Undoubtedly, the Cresco was a good move for Superair. Time will tell

whether the market and Superair's success will dictate if another Fletcher

or two will be replaced.