Kiwi Chateau     

Yes, that's Geoff, complete with headband, circa 1975 !

The AESL Airtourer is an all-metal light low-wing monoplane touring aircraft developed in Australia and manufactured in New Zealand. It was the winning design in a competition organised by Australia's Royal Aero Club in the early 1950s. A wooden prototype, the Henry Millicer designed Airtourer was constructed by a small group of enthusiasts in the Melbourne suburb of Williamstown during the late 1950s.

The prototype was demonstrated to aero clubs and flying schools where significant interest was shown as a Tiger Moth or Chipmunk replacement. After trial flights over Melbourne and then to the Latrobe Airfield development continued to the all-metal version.

Interest was shown in the design by Mervyn Richardson, Chairman of Victa Ltd —best known for making lawn mowers — who at the time had some aviation manufacturing interests. VH-MVA was later re-engined and was the first Airtourer 115 around 1963.

During the period 1961 to 1966, Victa Ltd. undertook production of the all-metal Airtourer, building both 100 hp and 115 hp models. Production by Victa took place until 1966 when the line closed down.

As the Australian Government had rejected Victa’s appeals for tariff protection assistance, and for funding assistance to keep the production lines open, the company had no choice other than to close down its Aviation Division in February 1966, by which time it had built 168 aircraft.

The manufacturing rights to the Airtourer were purchased the following year by the maintenance firm Aero Engine Services Ltd (AESL) in New Zealand where further production of 115 hp and 150 hp models took place until 1971. Ironically, one of its largest offshore orders came from the Royal Australian Air Force which purchased fifty-one uprated Airtourers (known as CT4 Airtrainers) between 1975 and 1982. These remained in service as the RAAF’s ab initio trainer until 1993 and indeed, the CT4 is still being used (in Tamworth) as the basic trainer for all Australian military pilot training.

A total of 168 were completed or significantly completed by Victa in Sydney and a further 80 built by AESL in Hamilton NZ. Actually it would be correct to say that 170 serial numbers were issued by Victa and 80 by AESL.

Variants

AESL produced 7 Airtourers from parts provided by Victa, before launching production of its own aircraft, ultimately produced in 7 different variants:

    T1 - 100 hp Continental O-200
    T2 - 115 hp Lycoming O-235 engine
    T3 - 130 hp Rolls-Royce O-240
    T4 - 150 hp Lycoming O-320-E1A
        - fixed pitch propellor
    T5 - 150 hp Lycoming O-320-E1A
        - Controlled Speed propeller
    T6 - initially a small run of 4 aircraft
          for the RNZAF
         - 150 hp Lycoming O-320-E1A
         - Constant Speed propellor
    T8 - 160 hp Lycoming AEIO-320
        - fuel injection

AESL delivery pilot Cliff Tait used an Airtourer for a record breaking flight, circumnavigating the world between May and August 1969 and covering 53,097 km in 288 flying hours in ZK-CXU.

A higher powered 4 seat variant, called the Aircruiser, had been built as a one-off by Victa in 1966. Ownership of this aircraft passed to AESL who rebuilt it as a prototype of the successful CT/4 Airtrainer, production of which continues by AESL descendant, Pacific Aerospace.

AESL production of the Airtourer commenced in July 1967 and terminated after the delivery of 87 aircraft in July 1973. Rights to produce the Airtourer were sold to Edge Aviation of Australia, who rebuilt a single AESL aircraft, but no further production followed. A large number of Airtourers continue to fly, particularly in Australasia.