Manufacture of Two-seater Training Aircraft
Alpha Aviation Ltd

All judges independently came to the same conclusion – that the elegant Alpha training aircraft produced by Alpha Aviation Ltd stood out from all other entrants as worthy of the Supreme Award for New Zealand Engineering Excellence.

The project represents a major contribution to the New Zealand economy in that there are already firm orders for 21 aircraft, with an expectation that 90 percent of production will be exported. It provides a significant increase in employment, directly and also by subcontracting the manufacture of some 700 components in New Zealand. The reputation of New Zealand engineering is enhanced, especially internationally; and, as the product is at the leading edge of its class, it is an example of world best-practice engineering.
All the components of the aircraft are outsourced, which required great care with interfaces and with quality control; only the final assembly and painting were done directly by Alpha Aviation. The purchase and adaptation of an existing French design showed splendid entrepreneurial ingenuity, and the fact that the project did not need external capital beyond the shareholders’ funds is highly commendable.

Finally, the quality of the project and the fitness of the aircraft for its purpose are very high. The judges were impressed by evidence from CTC New Zealand’s Chairman and Head of Training, Captain Steve Billett, that after an exhaustive competitive analysis of the training aircraft options available the decision to use the Alpha 160A was relatively easy; the aircraft “amply” met their requirements for build quality, robustness, and operational flexibility.

The Manufacture of Two-Seater Training Aircraft is the highly laudable winner of the Supreme Award for New Zealand Engineering Excellence 2006.

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