Pijao flys again in South America

by Bill Lavender

FRAY BENTOS, URUGUAY — Probably one of the most popular production ag-planes to have been built was the Cessna C-188. It came in three basic versions, the Ag-Wagon, Ag-Truck and Ag-Husky. Production for the first model, the Ag-Wagon, began in the late 1960s. Production of the C-188 models continued for the next twenty years until Cessna ceased production

Aviones de Colombia built over 260 C-188s under license to Cessna. Then, in the early 1980s, Cessna stopped production of the C-188 altogether and Aviones de Colombia took over, independently, manufacturing the aircraft under the name of Pijao (see AAU June 1993).

The Pijao, built by Aviones de Colombia, was almost identical to the Cessna Ag-Truck, with slight modifications to the airframe that cleaned up the airflow around the tail surfaces and the wing struts. Also, the ailerons drooped with the extension of the flaps for takeoff and there is a wing cuff on the leading edge of the wings. There were 15 Pijao aircraft built by Aviones de Colombia. It was never certified in the U.S. because, even though it was using the identical parts built under license to Cessna, the Cessna part numbers were literally erased and replaced with Pijao part numbers. This required recertification for the aircraft to be sold in the U.S. However, it was sold throughout South America.

The Pijao’s life in Colombia did not last very long. In the late 1990s, Aviones de Colombia closed it doors. At the turn of the century, the company sold the rights to the Pijao to a company called Texlond, a division of Siper Aviacion, based in Buenos Aires. Siper Aviacion is a long-standing company owned by two sisters and two brothers of the Siri family, Graciela, Silvia, Raul and Eduardo.

Texlond was formed to bring the Pijao back into production. Raul Siri, president of Texlond, worked very hard to find a suitable location for the new Pijao factory. Finally, Raul decided on the Zona Franca (Free Zone) on the border of Argentina and Uruguay, in a newly constructed facility in Fray Bentos. In doing so, Texlond became a Uruguayan company to build Pijao ag-aircraft.

In early 2005, AgAir Update Latinoamerica was invited to visit Texlond. The visit came to fruition the following August. Meeting Raul in Buenos Aires, we made the two-hour drive to Fray Bentos to visit the Pijao factory.

The Pijao factory is impressive by any standards, over 3,000 square meters (32,300 square feet), 36m X 84m (118 feet X 275 feet). Modern, clean and efficient, it is evident that the workers are preparing to bring a popular aircraft back to the marketplace. At the time of this visit, Texlond was waiting for its Uruguayan type certificate to be issued that will certify the Pijao per U.S. FAA Part 23 regulations.

Looking around in the factory, the large inventory of spare parts becomes noticeable. There are over 369,000 C-188 parts of over 3,000 types. There are enough parts to partially build 200 Pijaos, or completely build 60 aircraft.

The factory’s inventory includes 13 monocot fuselages that are standing on their ends, waiting to go on the assembly line. Three of these fuselages have an almost unnoticeable difference of being eight inches wider at the center and ten inches wider at the top. These fuselages will be used to build the side-by-side, dual cockpit Pijao.

Also in the factory’s inventory are wings built completely in Uruguay. Engines will come from TCM dealer, Siper Aviacion in Buenos Aires. Transland manufactures the hydraulic spray pumps. The hoppers, like the wings, are manufactured in Uruguay.

More than 20 people are working at Texlond. Approximately 15 are plant workers, plus three engineers and two technical advisors. Most of the employees are Uruguayan. However, two employees worked on the Pijao for Aviones de Colombia in Bogotá and three employees are from Argentina. With production plans for 20 Pijaos to be built each year, an additional 8-10 employees will be added in the future.

In the meantime, serial number 7 of the original 15 Pijaos built by Aviones de Colombia has been returned to the Texlond factory for a complete refurbishment. Before refurbishment, it had 1,500 hours logged. It will be a factory demonstrator aircraft. CX-XTC-X, a Uruguayan “N” number, will be certified as “Experimental”. It will have a new paint scheme, a freshly overhauled engine and propeller by Siper Aviacion, and will have been completely refurbished from end to end by the Texlond factory in Fray Bentos.

It is obvious the Cessna C-188 filled a need during its heyday. There is probably still a need for this aircraft in various parts of the world. With the exception of the U.S., Texlond plans to have the aircraft certified worldwide. Already, it is certified in Bolivia, Colombia and Brazil. The Pijao has proven itself through it predecessor, the Cessna C-188. It is sure to find a home at many ag-operations around the world.

Edited by Leopoldo Siri, bilingual journalist.