Victa Aircruiser
The Four-Seat Victa
Victa’s first production aeroplane was the Airtourer, a two-seat trainer and aerobatic aircraft.
The Airtourer was very successful in aero club training, and Henry Millicer, the designer, saw the next logical step as a four-seat touring aeroplane.
This development was designated the Aircruiser. The design originated in 1962 at Toowoomba during the Royal Federation of Aeroclubs annual conference.
It was based on the Airtourer with an enclosed cabin replaced the sliding canopy and a single large door on the left-hand side enabled easy access for tall (6’ 4”) people.
Initially, a 180HP engine was planned, but this was increased to 210HP before manufacture. The maximum weight was increased by around 50% over the Airtourer while retaining the Airtourer wing aerofoil and shape. The weight increase required greater flap deflection to generate a higher Cl in the landing configuration, to maintain landing speeds similar to those of the Airtourer.
Wind tunnel tests showed good drag characteristics, but the lift at the full flap of 30 degrees was poor.
Henry decided to use a vortex to energise the flow over the upper surface of the flap. This proved very successful, with a three-times increase in Cl maximum. The stall had been delayed to a sufficiently high angle of incidence that the flow separation commenced from the leading edge. The early test flight stalls at full flap and power induced a sudden 90 degree wing drop. The resulting side slip caused a rapid reversal of the wing drop, and the aircraft descended in a falling leaf manoeuvre. Henry described this as spectacular from the ground but uncomfortable for the rear-seat passengers.
An extensive program investigated various solutions over a number of test flights. What Henry described as a “spoiler” was added to the leading edge to trigger an earlier stall. Additionally, a wing fence was added around mid-span of the flap to stop the spanwise flow of the boundary layer. This spanwise flow was causing the outer section of the wing to stall first leading to the wing drop. Even with these modifications, the full flap stall remained lower than that of the Airtourer despite the higher maximum weight.
The Aircruiser first flew on 18 July 1966 and received the Australian equivalent of FAR23 certification the following year. At this time, the Victa board was considering ceasing aircraft production, therefore the Aircruiser never went into production.
In 1970, Aero Engine Services Limited in New Zealand brought the Type Certificate from Victa. They had no plans for manufacture but rather modified the design with a clamshell canopy and military controls and cockpit designating it the CT4. Ironically, the New Zealanders then sold it back to the RAAF as a primary trainer.
Sonny Rankin, one of the first Airtourer Association Presidents, had placed an order for the Aircruiser when it was first announced. Sonny approached AESL to buy the prototype, then registered as ZK-DAH. After initial resistance, they saw this as an opportunity to liquidate an otherwise orphan asset.
On return to Australia, it was given the original VH-MVR registration. MVR being the initials of Mervyn Victor Richardson, the inventor of the Victa lawnmower and founder of the Victa company. (VH-MVR was also used on the Victa R2, designed by Luigi Pellarini and flown in 1961.)
Sonny kept MVR at his farm, Yarrandale, northwest of West Wyalong, the location of the early President’s Fly-ins. Sonny was generous in sharing flights, and many members had the opportunity to fly the Aircruiser. This continued with the next owner, Des Heffernan, whenever he could attend our fly-ins.
In 2023, MVR changed hands again to association members Mon and Jon, who keep it on their property at Riddells Creek. Mon and Jon displayed their new acquisition at the Australian International Airshow, Avalon 2025.
In the 1990s, Millicer Aircraft Industries attempted to manufacture the Aircruiser. They had purchased the Type Certificate from Pacific Aerospace, which had evolved from AESL. Despite MAI using his name, Henry Millicer was involved only as a consultant. In the late 1990s, MAI went into administration without producing an aeroplane, and the Aircruiser Type Certificate was subsequently sold to Brumby Aircraft, which made Brumby series of aircraft at Cowra in NSW. Brumby’s plans to manufacture the Aircruiser were dealt a blow by the financial impacts of the COVID restrictions.
Victa Aircruiser VH-MVR may remain an orphan but continues to fly as a reminder of missed opportunities for Australian aircraft manufacturing.
Watch Pathe Newsreel of Aircruiser First Flight
