Australian Aviation Industry to Honour NZ-Built Air Force Training Aircraft
A New Zealand-designed aircraft that has trained thousands of air force pilots around the world is being honoured by Australia’s aviation community this month, marking 50 years since the first CT-4 Airtrainer arrived in the country.
Developed in Hamilton in the early 1970s, the CT-4 became a cornerstone of military flight training across the Asia-Pacific, with more than 150 units built and operated by air forces in New Zealand, Australia, Thailand and Singapore, and has been trialled by other countries including the United Kingdom, United States, Israel and South Africa.
The Royal Thai Air Force has operated the CT-4 continuously since 1973, making it one of the longest-serving trainer aircraft in modern aviation.
Over the past five decades, the CT-4 has generated millions of dollars in export earnings for New Zealand and continues to be manufactured and serviced in the Waikato at NZAero’s Hamilton facility, on the same site where the aircraft’s story began.
Earlier this year, the company signed a multimillion-dollar technology deal with the Royal Thai Air Force to modernise the long-serving fleet. Planned upgrades include state-of-the-art digital avionics and upgraded systems. The contract will see New Zealand-built aircraft from the early 2000s retrofitted for a new generation of Thai Air Force pilots, extending the model’s 50-year service record.
The Airtourer Association of Australia is hosting a fly-in event at Tamworth Airport from October 16 to 19, the former base of the BAE Ansett flying school that trained generations of military and civilian pilots using the CT-4B. The weekend event includes an air display, historic tours and the unveiling of a commemorative brass plaque by Tamworth Mayor Russell Webb.
Stephen Burrows, CEO of NZAero, says the CT-4 stands as a testament to New Zealand’s capacity to engineer aircraft of exceptional quality that continue to earn respect on the global aviation stage.
“For fifty years, this aircraft has introduced thousands of pilots to flight. Its simplicity, aerobatic capability and reliability have made it a trusted platform for air forces and training schools worldwide.
“Some of the most notable aviators to have flown the CT-4 include the late King of Thailand, who personally owned CT-4 serial number two, and generations of RNZAF Red Checkers, who made the aircraft their display team aircraft of choice from 1977 through to 2013.
“With more than fifty years of continuous service and production runs across three decades, the CT-4’s story remains one of New Zealand’s greatest export success stories in aviation engineering, a legacy that continues to inspire new designs from the same Hamilton factory that started it all. As we look ahead to the next generation CT-4G, it is fitting to honour the heritage of innovation and craftsmanship that has defined this aircraft for half a century.”
Burrows says what sets the CT-4 apart from other trainers of its era is its advanced engineering and suitability for intensive pilot instruction over thousands of hours.
“The CT-4 was designed from the outset as a true training aircraft. It featured a jettisonable canopy that allowed flight crew to bail out safely in an emergency, and side-by-side seating with dual controls, which made instruction far easier than in tandem-configured trainers.
“The aircraft was fully aerobatic, capable of handling +6G and -3G manoeuvres, with an inverted oil and fuel system that allowed sustained aerobatic flight. Its tricycle undercarriage provided excellent ground handling and stability, and its all-aluminium construction gave it the durability and ease of maintenance needed for intensive training operations.”
Since its first flight in 1972, the CT-4 has evolved through multiple variants, from the early CT-4A to the CT-4E powered by a 300 hp Lycoming engine, culminating in plans for the Garmin-equipped CT-4G currently under design.
ENDS
Images were supplied.
