The PL-11 Airtruck (Bennett Aviation BA-001 ZK-BPV & Waitomo Aircraft WA-002 ZK-CKE) is a New Zealand Agricultural aircraft. The Antonov An-2 was the first purpose-built agricultural arcraft to be mass-produced. ...

A strikingly unusual aircraft, the PL.11 Airtruck was designed as a de Havilland Tiger Moth replacement for the New Zealand aerial topdressing market by Luigi Pellarini in the early 1960s. The prototype was constructed largely from bits of war surlus ex-RNZAF North American Harvard. It featured all aluminimum structure, a high wing monoplane with a steel stub wing and V lift struts, steerable tricycle undercarriage, an extremely stubby pod fuselage, the cockpit (made from shortened harvard glazing) being mounted directly over the radial engine, providing excellent forward view and very high drag, beneath it was room for a superphosphate hopper or up to 5 people in a cabin. The strangeness was completed by twin booms each supporting unconnected tail units, (the idea being a truck could reverse between the tail units to load the hopper). Despite the outlandish appearance the Airtruck was perhaps surprisingly successful, if unable to compete with the Fletcher Fu24 in its design market. A shortage of Harvard parts lead to the type being redsigned for all new construction, as the Transavia Airtruck, which was mass produced in Australia. The de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth was a 1930s biplane designed by de Havilland and operated by the Royal Air Force and others as a primary trainer. ... Aerial Topdressing is the spreading of fertilisers such as Superphosphate over farm land. ... The Royal New Zealand Air Force or RNZAF is the air operations arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. ... The T-6 Texan was a single-engine, advanced trainer aircraft designed by North American Aviation and used to train fighter pilots of the USAAF, US Navy, Royal Air Force and other air forces of the British Commonwealth during World War II. The Texan is known by a variety of... Superphosphate is a fertiliser produced by the action of concentrated Sulphuric Acid on ground phosphate rock. ... PAC Fletcher is an Agricultural aircraft, made in New Zealand, together with the Auster Agricola, the first designed for aerial topdressing. ... Country of origin: Australia First Flown: 1965 Description: Agricultural/utility monoplane Power plant: 1 X 300-hp continental flat 6 Range: 1297km 700nm Length: 6. ...

Waitomo Aircraft ltd had it's Head Office & Works at Te Kumi Airfield, Te Kuiti. The Manager and Chief Engineer was Geoffrey Edgar Frank Young, B.Sc.(Eng.), Grad R.Ae.S.