PAC 750XL Falco 3000 ZK-JPU Cancelled

In a sad follow on from the wire strike accident inland from Wairoa on 12 December 2016 which killed the pilot and loader driver and cut power to Gisborne for several days, Farmers Air PAC 750XL Falco 3000 ZK-JPU was cancelled from the register on 1/2/17.

ZK-JPU (c/n 117) was built as a PAC 750XL and was first registered to Pacific Aerospace Corporation of Hamilton on 8/3/05 and it first flew on 8/4/05.  It was re-designated as a PAC 750SP on 25/7/05 but reverted back to a PAC 750XL on 23/9/05 (I assume this designation referred to the agricultural version of the PAC 750 and ZK-JPU was the first agricultural PAC 750).  Ownership transferred to the Taumarunui Aerial Co-operative Society on 21/10/05.

Ownership transferred to Flight Care Leasing of Napier on 22/6/09 and it was leased to Farmers Air of Gisborne.  Farmers Air Ltd purchased the aircraft on  on 24/6/11, and they modified it to their Falco 3000 specification (compare the nose cowling profile with the first photo).  The above photo was taken on 9/3/12.

More recently it had Falco badging applied as in this photo taken at Gisborne in May 2015.  The photo is from our sister blog 3rd Level New Zealand.

Farmers Air still operate four Falco 3000s: ZK-JBC, ZK-SWA, ZK-XLA and ZK-XLB.