Pacific Aerospace P-750 XSTOL (PAC 750XL)

The PAC 750XL (marketed as the P-750 XSTOL) is a single-engine turboprop utility aircraft designed and manufactured in Hamilton, New Zealand. First flown in 2001 and FAA-certified in 2004, the 750XL was conceived as a purpose-built skydive and utility platform that married the proven high-lift wing and PT6A powerplant of the PAC Cresco agricultural aircraft to a new, large-capacity fuselage and modified empennage. Pacific Aerospace advertised it as the world's first "Extremely STOL" (XSTOL) aircraft, capable of operating from strips under 800 ft at max gross weight.

Over 120 airframes had been built by January 2019. The type is globally recognized as one of the dominant skydive platforms, able to haul 17 jumpers (or six tandem teams) to 12,000 ft and return to land in roughly 10 minutes. Beyond skydive, 750XLs serve in cargo, passenger, geophysical survey, agricultural, humanitarian (NatureLink operates them under UN WFP contracts in Africa), and military liaison roles — Australia gifted two to the Papua New Guinea Defence Force in 2023.

Pacific Aerospace Ltd. entered liquidation in 2021 after its prior Chinese-New Zealand ownership left the company owing approximately NZ$42 million. In April 2021 the business and assets were acquired by NZSkydive Ltd (principals Neil Young and Dee Bond), who restarted production, re-obtained NZ CAA manufacturing and type certificates, and rebranded the company as NZAero on 1 November 2023. In August 2023 NZAero received a type certificate amendment for the 750XL-II "SuperPac", a 900 hp PT6A-140A-powered evolution.

The 750XL flies like a scaled-up Cessna 208 with better short-field manners and worse cruise. It is not a pilot's airplane in the sporting sense — it is an operator's airplane. See also cessna-208-caravan for the closest direct competitor.

Book cruise is 140 KTAS, with a max cruise of about 170 KTAS at altitude. Real-world operators typically plan 140–150 KTAS at around 38–42 GPH — this is notably slower than a Caravan for the same fuel burn, because the 750XL wing is optimized for lift and low-speed behavior, not for cruise drag. The aircraft trades cruise efficiency for the ability to leave and arrive anywhere.

Climb is the 750XL's signature trick. With half fuel and two people it will bust 3,000 fpm initially; even loaded with eleven skydivers it still makes ~2,200 fpm. Book figure is 1,067 fpm at MTOW. Density-altitude performance is excellent thanks to the oversized Cresco wing and generous power-to-weight.

Takeoff ground roll under 800 ft at MTOW is real, not marketing copy — skydive operators routinely fly from 2,000 ft strips fully loaded. Landing ground rolls of ~550 ft are likewise reproducible with reverse and aggressive braking. Pilots transitioning from pistons report the airplane flies heavy in pitch but is docile at the bottom of the envelope.

The 750XL is one of the rare aircraft that can actually fly full seats and full fuel — useful load of 4,428 lb vs. max fuel weight of ~1,521 lb leaves nearly 2,900 lb for cabin load even with brimmed tanks.

• Full fuel (227 gal, 1,521 lb) + 2 crew: ~2,550 lb remaining for cargo — nearly a ton and a half, with ~8 hours endurance and 1,100+ nm range. This is a working configuration for long-leg cargo, survey, and humanitarian flights.
• Full seats (9 pax + pilot at 200 lb each = 2,000 lb): Leaves ~2,400 lb for fuel — about 360 gallons of capacity — more than the airplane can carry. So you can simultaneously fill every seat and top the tanks with room to spare, a claim almost no other nine-seat turboprop can match.
• 17 skydivers (~3,400 lb) + minimal fuel: Standard skydive operation — climb to 12,000 ft, drop load, descend, land, repeat. Up to 17 cycles per hour have been reported in intensive operations.
• Agricultural / hopper load: Cresco-derived wing supports heavy hopper work from short, narrow farm strips — though the Cresco itself remains the purpose-built ag airplane.

The 750XL's payload-range envelope is the single strongest argument for the type over a Caravan: it gives up ~30 KTAS in cruise in exchange for meaningfully more useful load, better short-field performance, and the ability to operate where a Caravan cannot.

Sources:

• PAC P-750 XSTOL — Wikipedia
• NZAero — 750XL
• NZAero — Our History
• NZAero — Wikipedia
• Pacific Aerospace comeback under new owners — NZ Herald
• Pacific Aerospace goes into liquidation — FLYER
• PAC 750XL — Aviation Consumer
• PAC 750XL Skydiving Aircraft — DiverDriver
• planephd.com 750XL valuation
• FAA AD 2021-24084 — wing skin chafing
• FAA AD E8-2831 — 750XL
• PT6A-34 CT blade AD — AgAir Update
• Utility Aircraft Corporation — 750XL support
• Classic Fighters — SuperPac 750XL-II
• PAC Cresco — Wikipedia

• Backcountry / Bush (9): Purpose-built for unimproved strip operations. Only cessna-208-caravan on amphibs or a DHC-6 can match the load/strip combination, and neither beats it on raw STOL numbers. See backcountry-bush. Marked down from 10 only because the airframe is large and doesn't have the intimate "land on a sandbar" character of a Cub or Husky — it needs at least a pickup-truck-sized clearing.
• Cargo Hauling (10): 4,428 lb useful load, cavernous fuselage, large rear cargo door, and the ability to deliver it to places other turboprops cannot. This is the airplane's highest and best use. See cargo-hauling.
• Surveying (9): Slow, stable, long-endurance, and has belly/hardpoint provisions for geophysical survey sensors (mag booms, LiDAR, gravimeters). A meaningful fleet flies survey full-time.
• Cross-Country (6): Turboprop reliability and 1,100+ nm range make it usable for distance work, but 140 KTAS cruise puts it well behind a Caravan, PC-12, or TBM on any pure point-to-point mission.
• Business Travel (5): Nine-passenger capacity with a turbine and IFR panel is viable for charter and corporate shuttle, but the cabin is utilitarian, noise is notable, and cruise is slow.
• Local Fun Flying (3): Too much airplane, too expensive to feed, and not a stick-and-rudder machine — you fly it for a job.
• Flight Training (2): Only relevant as a type-specific checkout for operators. Not a primary trainer.
• Aerobatics (1): Normal/Utility category only. Not aerobatic.

Factory panels have evolved considerably over the production run:

• Early 2004–2010 airframes: Typically Garmin GNS 430/530 stacks with a KFC 150 or S-TEC 55X autopilot, conventional round-gauge steam panels. Many early skydive-optimized aircraft were delivered with minimal avionics — just enough to be IFR legal.
• 2010–2019: Garmin G600 or dual GTN 650/750 upgrades became common. Some customers specified Avidyne panels.
• 2021–present (post-restart): Garmin G600 TXi or G500 TXi with GTN 750Xi navigators is the standard offering. S-TEC 3100 autopilot integration is common.
• 750XL-II SuperPac: Delivered with full Garmin G600 TXi glass as standard.

Aftermarket avionics upgrades are straightforward because the type uses standard Part 23 certified boxes — no airframe-specific unobtanium.

The 750XL modification ecosystem is small compared with Cessna/Piper fleets, but notable items include:

• Cargo pod / belly pod — factory option, adds ~20 cu ft
• Jump door modification — nearly universal on skydive-configured aircraft; factory offering
• Skydive interior kits — benches for 17 jumpers
• Geophysical survey hardpoints — mag booms, stinger tails
• Four-blade prop conversions — noise reduction and small climb improvement
• Oxygen systems — operators routinely fly to 18,000–20,000 ft
• SuperPac PT6A-140A engine upgrade path — limited to new-build airframes under the amended TC; not a straightforward retrofit for existing 750XLs

See maintenance-ecosystem. Support is the 750XL's single biggest ownership risk relative to a Caravan.

• Parts availability: Fair. NZAero has restored OEM production and parts support post-2021, but pipeline times from New Zealand are longer than Textron Caravan support out of Wichita. Operators in North America often keep a local spares cache.
• Mechanic familiarity: Specialist. PT6A-34 expertise is universal (any turbine shop can handle the engine), but airframe-specific knowledge is concentrated at a handful of service centers — Utility Aircraft Corporation in California has historically been the primary U.S. support hub.
• Annual / 100-hour costs: $20,000–$45,000 depending on utilization and mission; skydive operators run materially higher
• Hot section inspection (HSI): ~$50,000–$70,000 typical; required on condition / by P&WC recommended interval
• Engine overhaul (PT6A-34): $400,000–$475,000 at TBO (3,600 hours or on-condition)
• Expensive items: Jump door hinges and seals, landing gear leg attach structure, flap tracks, Hartzell prop overhaul, and the NZ-sourced airframe skin panels
• Fuel burn: 38–42 GPH Jet-A typical cruise; 55+ GPH in climb

Pricing is heavily a function of cycles, engine time, and configuration. See valuation-methodology.

• New / factory build (NZAero): USD $1.75M–$1.9M depending on configuration
• Low-time / well-equipped used (2015–2020): $1.3M–$1.7M
• High-cycle skydive veteran (2004–2012): $900K–$1.2M
• Engine status premium: Mid-time PT6A-34 on condition is worth $150K–$250K relative to a run-out; a freshly overhauled engine is a major value driver
• Avionics premium: Modern Garmin TXi glass adds $75K–$125K vs. a legacy round-gauge panel
• Cargo pod / jump door: Normally treated as neutral because buyer and seller are likely in the same mission segment
• Paint / interior: Minor relative to engine and airframe condition — these are working airplanes

Post-2021 restart airframes command a premium because they carry current NZAero support relationships; the 750XL-II SuperPac is a distinctly different market segment from the original 750XL.

Active and historically significant ADs and issues include:

• FAA AD 2021-22-08 — Wing skin chafing from fuel-system finger filters on serial numbers 100–205, 207–213, and 8001. Requires inspection and corrective action.
• FAA AD 2008-03-xx — Early 750XL AD addressing control system / fastener issues.
• NZ CAA DCA/750XL/3A series — Various directives from the New Zealand authority covering flap tracks, elevator trim, and fuel system items.
• PT6A-34 compressor turbine blade AD (2022) — FAA AD covering PT6A-34/-34B/-34AG/-114/-114A blades after several reports of low-time CT blade fractures. Affects all PT6A-34-powered types, not just the 750XL.
• Operator wear items: High-cycle skydive fleets see accelerated wear on brakes, tires, landing gear attach structure, and the jump door. Hot-section inspections hit sooner on jump operators due to the brutal climb-descend-climb duty cycle.
• Pre-buy red flags: Verify compliance with all wing-skin and fuel-finger-filter ADs; inspect landing gear box carefully on skydive veterans; confirm engine cycles (not just hours) and hot-section status.

See insurance-underwriting. The 750XL sits in the turbine-single utility category, which is materially more expensive than piston singles but cheaper than jets or pressurized turbines.

• Hull rate: Approximately 1.5–2.0% of hull value annually for experienced turbine-single pilots in utility operations
• Typical hull premium: $18,000–$28,000/year on a $1.3M hull
• Liability: $2,500–$5,000/year for typical commercial utility policies; skydive operators pay significantly more
• Underwriting quirks:
  • Insurers require PT6A / turbine-single time; pure piston transitions face high premiums or an instructor-mentor requirement
  • Skydive operations are a separate, much harder market — expect carrier attrition and purpose-built policies
  • The New Zealand type certificate and post-liquidation parts supply concerns have occasionally tightened underwriting
  • Commercial operator checkrides and recurrent training (FlightSafety or operator-run) are typically required