Gippsland GA8

GA8 Airvan
Gippsland Aeronautics GA-8 Airvan
Role	Utility aircraft/Transport
National origin	Australia
Manufacturer	GippsAero
First flight	3 March 1995
Introduction	December 2000
Primary user	United States Civil Air Patrol
Produced	2000–present
Number built	~240
Unit cost	US$727,000 (GA8, 2016) US$761,000 (GA8-TC320, 2016)
Variants	Gippsland GA10

The GippsAero GA8 Airvan is a single-engined utility aircraft manufactured by GippsAero (formerly named Gippsland Aeronautics) of Victoria, Australia. It can seat eight, including the pilot.

The aircraft was designed to fill a market niche perceived by the manufacturer between the Cessna 206 and Cessna 208 models, with seating for four and up to fourteen passengers respectively. It is used in various roles, including passenger services; freight; sightseeing; parachuting; observation and search and rescue.

As of June 2013^[ref], 200 Airvans had been produced and delivered.

A turbocharged version of the aircraft was in planning from 2004, and the prototype turbocharged aircraft commenced flight testing in October 2006. In February 2009, Gippsland Aeronautics announced that the Australian Civil Aviation Authority had issued an amendment to the GA8 type certificate to cover the turbocharged variant. This version is designated as the GA8-TC320 and is powered by a 320 HP Lycoming TIO-540-AH1A Turbocharged Fuel Injected Engine. The first deliveries took place in February 2009, with several GA8-TC320 Airvans delivered to customers in Australia and New Zealand.

A turboprop derivative of the GA8, the GA10, is also being developed. It is a slightly stretched 10-seat capacity aircraft powered by a Rolls-Royce 250-B17F/2 turboprop engine. It is planned to retain as many common parts with the GA8 as possible.

A floatplane version has also been considered by the manufacturer.

In December 2010, a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) was issued to the manufacturer for a 200 lb. increase in MTOW.

At EAA Oshkosh 2014, the GA8 Airvan was officially renamed as Mahindra Airvan 8.

One GA8 Airvan, VH-BYI, became the first Australian designed and manufactured aircraft to fly around the world, raising funds for malaria awareness. It was piloted by Australian pilots, Ken Evers and Tim Pryse, who took off from Bendigo, Victoria, Australia on 8 May 2010. After flying 27,675 nautical miles for over 263 flight hours and burning over 16,000 litres of Avgas, the two men returned to Bendigo 62 days after take-off, landing at 2:33pm on 10 July 2010. Their flight took them through several malaria endemic countries, and their charity "Millions Against Malaria" continues to work in malaria-plagued areas such as Papua New Guinea.