The AESL (now PAC) CT4B

The little CT4B was developed from the four-seat version of the Airtourer. Although the Airtourer was an Australian design, the Airtrainer was designed in New Zealand by the company that had, by then, purchased the Victa company. History lesson over....

This is a fantastic little trainer, fully aerobatic and capable of scaring the living daylights out of any student, and some instructors too! Very solid and sturdy, the CT4 was ultimately developed to be powered by a 300 horsepower Lycoming engine, and considering that the original Airtourer only had 80 or so, that's quite a difference!

I took this photo of one of my mates flying in formation with me. We taught Australian Army pilots, who ultimately went on to fly helicopters. Part of the course involved formation training, and each student would receive three lessons from you (about half of each would be leading and the other half as following), before they went solo on YOUR wing! It tended to focus your attention as they were generally within 20 feet of your wing and at any time could potentially kill the both of you!

Another interesting feature of the CT4 was that, with its 27 foot wingspan (same as the Mirage III used by the RAAF until the 80's), it had the same power-off glide characteristics as the Mirage, and could therefore be very effective in teaching emergency procedures to students destined for fighters.