Whanganui’s Aerowork engineers completely rebuild Cresco aircraft

Aerowork chief executive Harald Hendel says topdressing is "a really unique, Kiwi thing". Photo / Mike Tweed

Whanganui topdressing company Aerowork has saved about $1.5 million thanks to its 15-strong engineering team.

It completely rebuilt a Cresco aircraft damaged north of New Plymouth in 2024.

Chief executive Harald Hendel said the plane was helicoptered back to Whanganui within days.

“There is no other ag-aviation [agricultural aviation] operator in New Zealand that has this ability,” he said.

“We kept all the best bits we could and added everything else, around 80% of it.

“All up, it took just under 15 months. The plane is back up and working full time.”

Hendel said the company’s engineering apprentice “literally knocked on the door and came up to my office”.

“We decided to give it a go and, for me, it’s one of our pride stories.

“There is one apprenticeship going at any one time and expanding it could be a model for the future.

“It can be training right out of school to be an aircraft maintenance engineer and, with a bit of a push, all the way through to being a licensed maintenance engineer.”

Licensed engineers can certify planes as safe for flight.

Hendel, a former chief investigator at the Transport Accident Investigation Commission, said Aerowork used to operate Fletcher aircraft, which were designed in the United States after World War II.

“They were kitset in containers into New Zealand and around 400 were built here.

‘We still have one operating for training. It will be 50 years old next year but we’ve kept it going."

The rebuild project took just under 15 months and cost about $2 million.

He said Crescos weighed 1.5 tonnes empty and 3.5 tonnes full – “they are amazing planes”.

“It has a really powerful engine, a 750-horsepower turbine, and can do 22 tonnes [of fertiliser] per hour.”

A new plane would have cost $3.5-$4m, and the rebuild came in at about $2m, Hendel said.

“A new one is just not affordable in today’s climate.

“We are not allowed to build a new plane but because we’ve got an existing starting point we can build on top of that.”

He said Aerowork’s biggest customer required up to 2000 tonnes of solid fertiliser for an autumn spread, and the amount forecast to be flown in 2026 was higher than in the previous three years.

“There is still red meat demand overseas, Americans want to eat their burgers, but we are up against fuel and inflation cost challenges.”

The company’s biggest urea supplier in Saudi Arabia was trucking product across the country to the Suez Canal because of the Middle East conflict and uncertainty over the Strait of Hormuz, Hendel said.

“Luckily, when the war kicked off, none of our ships were stuck in there.

“We’ve managed to secure all the autumn supplies for farms; now, it’s about spring. That’s the next big season.”

Wanganui Aero Work was founded by Wally Harding in 1949 after he converted his Tiger Moth to spread fertiliser on his high-country station.

The business was sold to fertiliser company Ravensdown in 2004 and renamed Aerowork.

It now has nine bases nationwide, with its headquarters and engineering facility in Whanganui.

Hendel said he was keen to “attract the youth” to the agricultural aviation sector.

“Engineers and pilots are a scarce commodity and I’d love to think we can find the next generation locally.

“It’s a really unique, Kiwi thing, this topdressing.”

Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily Whanganui District Council.