Utility Aircraft Corp

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The roots of the P-750 XSTOL go back almost fifty years. In 1953, Mr. John W. Thorp, an American aircraft designer employed by Fletcher Aviation Corporation of California, developed the FD 25 Defender, a ground attack aircraft. Mr. Wendell S. Fletcher, in response to the needs of the fledgling New Zealand agricultural aviation industry, and in conjunction with Mr. Thorp, developed the idea for the FU 24 agricultural aircraft. The FU 24 would utilize many features of the FD 25. Their proposal was well received in New Zealand and, with orders for the first 100 aircraft, the FU 24 was born. The first aircraft was delivered 12 months later. The subsequent 11 aircraft were partially assembled in America and fully assembled upon arrival in New Zealand. The next 89 aircraft were completely assembled in New Zealand. It is interesting to note that that first delivered aircraft is still in operation. Over the many years it has been upgraded from the Continental 225 hp. It is a tribute to Mr. Thorp ’s sound basic design that this aircraft has gone from 225hp, 240 hp, 260 hp, 285 hp, 300 hp, 400 hp and is flying today with a 550 hp turbine powerplant! The FU 24 ( “Fletcher ” as it is known in New Zealand) has had hundreds of modifications over the subsequent decades. Bigger hoppers, dual controls, aerodynamic improvements, and even adapted automotive V8 engines have been and are under development. Mr. Fletcher sold the manufacturing rights to a New Zealand group and production of the FU 24 was moved to New Zealand in 1961. In 1967 the world saw the first turbine powered agricultural aircraft when a Pratt and Whitney PT6-20 of 500 hp was fitted to a FU 24 Fletcher. The airframe of this particular aircraft was heavily modified to not only carry the engine, but to contain the bigger hopper and much bigger load. After the initial success of this modification, a Garrett TPE 331 of 530 hp was installed in another heavily modified Fletcher and it flew in 1968. Another horsepower and hopper increase came along in 1970 with a Garrett TPE 331 of 665 hp and a 50 cubic foot hopper. These were not production modifications and in 1972 a design study found that the FU 24 was reaching its design limits. It was determined that a new aircraft design was needed. In 1975, Pacific Aerospace Corporation (PAC) began working on a new design. It was named “Cresco, ” which is Latin for “I grow ”. The new aircraft featured a longer fuselage, a massive hopper, enlarged fin and rudder, revised wing with integral fuel tanks (wet wing) and a 600 hp, Lycoming LTP 101 turbine. It retained all the good features that had made the Fletcher a local legend. The aircraft was extremely rugged, easy to fly and maintain, and safe. It was an instant success, production began and it was Type Certified as the 08-600 Cresco. This aircraft appeared very similar to the FU 24 Fletcher at first glance, but it was a much bigger machine and improved in many ways. 1992 saw the introduction of the famous PT6-34AG turbine engine of 750 hp. Pratt and Whitney of Canada specifically designed this engine model for the agricultural aircraft market.

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