George Morgan was born in 1952, and grew up in Victoria’s Williamstown area, right under the flight path of heavily laden DC3’s and DC4’s lumbering their way from Essendon to Tasmania. George’s first flight was with his grandmother, in a Reg Ansett helicopter from Essendon airport. George started building and flying model airplanes which progressed to flying gliders at Bacchus Marsh, making his first flight at the age of 12.


By the age of 17, George had his glider instructor rating. During this period, he would have to be driven to Bacchus Marsh airfield by the very people he was instructing to fly. Through gliding, he met his future business partner, Peter Furlong. George commenced an apprenticeship in airframes and engines at the Government Aircraft Factory at Fisherman’s Bend in 1969 working on the design, development, and certification phases of the Nomad aircraft. George established a glider repair and sales business at Bacchus Marsh and at the same time was selected as a member of the Australian Gliding team to participate at the world gliding championships.


In 1984, partnering with Peter Furlong, Gippsland Aeronautics was incorporated at Latrobe Valley aerodrome. Their partnership saw the modification of Pawnee aircraft for local agricultural work and the development and certification of the Gippsland Aeronautics GA200 agricultural aircraft. In 1993, work commenced on the design of the GA8 Airvan, achieving its type certification from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) in 2000. Between 2000-2020, over 265 Airvans were manufactured flying in 38 different counties.


The design of the ten-seater GA10 turboprop was next, with certification completed in 2017. The production of Airvan aircraft ceased in 2019, and in 2023, George purchased 100% of the company back from Mahindra. The GA-8 is now a widely proven and accepted aircraft, operated in the harshest environments and roughest air strips in the world. Both Peter and George acknowledged that along the way of fulfilling their vision, many people have assisted them; “It has been a real team effort”.