Australian aircraft manufacturer, GippsAero Pty Ltd, the Aircraft division of Mahindra Aerospace Private Limited, today received the Type Certificate for the Airvan GA8 TC-320, the turbocharged version of the versatile eight seat utility aircraft, from the FAA at a ceremony at EAA AirVenture 2010. The type was initially certificated by the Australian Civil Aviation Authority (CASA) in February 2009 and has now received certification from both the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

GippsAero reports that the Turbocharged Airvan has been selling well despite the global financial crisis, with 15 examples of the type now in service in a wide variety of roles. To further demonstrate the versatility and capability of the type, the turbocharged Airvan recently completed an Around the World Flight to celebrate the centenary years of powered flight in Australia and to raise funds for Malaria awareness.

The GA8 - TC 320 is powered by a 320 HP Lycoming TIO-540-AH1A Turbocharged Fuel Injected Engine turning a Hartzell 80 inch (2032 mm) diameter, three blade, constant speed propeller.

The GA8-TC 320 is powered by a turbocharged Lycoming TIO-540-AH1A rated to 320 horsepower at 40 inches of manifold pressure at 2500 rpm from sea level to 5000 feet. Above 5000 feet, the TIO-540-AH1A is rated to maintain 300 horsepower at 38 inches of manifold pressure at 2500 rpm. The GA8-TC 320 features a Hartzell 80 inch (2032 mm) diameter, scimitar design three blade propeller. The turbocharged engine enhances the performance of the already extremely versatile Airvan with improved climbing and high altitude performance with a very low noise footprint.

The type is proving popular with existing Airvan fleet owners. The Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF International Asia-Pacific) has added three turbocharged Airvans to their 14 strong Airvan fleet for service in the rugged highlands of Papua New Guinea and two examples have been added to the Airvan Freighter fleet of Air Freight Solutions of Bathurst New South Wales. On the other side of the Australian continent, tourist operator Alligator Airways of Kununura, Western Australia, has replaced its entire Airvan fleet with five brand new copies of the turbocharged variant. Across the Tasman Sea, long-term Airvan operator Air Safaris, a tour operator based in New Zealand's majestic Southern Alps, has added a turbocharged Airvan to bring their Airvan fleet to four.

"Mahindra Aerospace is committed to consolidating and expanding GippsAero's business in Australia and overseas. The Airvan has already proved its airworthiness and is in great demand amongst international customers. Our future plans with GippsAero include producing two new aircrafts – a ten seater and an eighteen seater to cater to this growing market," said Mr. Arvind Mehra, Executive Director and CEO, Mahindra Aerospace Private Limited.

"We welcome Mahindra's commitment to GippsAero. We already produce aircrafts in the range of two to twenty seaters in over 30 countries across the globe and I am sure our association with Mahindra will take the company to even greater heights. We look forward to the beginning of a new chapter in our history," said Mr. George Morgan, Director, Gippsland Aeronautics.

"We are delighted to be a part of the Mahindra family and share in the company's vision of evolving into a global aerospace OEM. GippsAero's strong intellectual property and technological innovation combined with Mahindra's brand name and global reach will ensure that together we become a force to reckon with in the aviation sphere," said Mr. Terry Miles, CEO, Gippsland Aeronautics.