Since its design in 2006, the P2006T has become a go-to choice for flight training worldwide, not just for big schools but also private owners. It’s not just about the looks as the aircraft offers multiengine piston training at a fair cost.

“If you are a passenger of Ryanair or another major European airline, it’s quite likely that your pilot made his or her first multiengine IFR flight in a shiny Tecnam P2006T at Bartolini Air,” said Bartlomiej Walas, Bartolini Air’s managing director. 

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With 15 Tecnam aircraft already in its fleet and five more joining in 2024, Bartolini Air said it is expanding to meet the growing demand for its top-notch training. The school provides more than 12,000 flight training hours yearly, producing pilots for major airlines worldwide.

Walter Da Costa, chief sales officer at Tecnam, highlighted the success factors behind the P2006T Twin, emphasizing the company’s commitment to value, low costs, innovative design, and stylish Italian touch. Plus, Da Costa said the Rotax engines make it an environmental leader with fuel savings and lower noise emissions.

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After more than 30 years of guiding pilots through their check rides, the work of author Michael Hayes is expanded by the capable hands of Jason Blair. A distinguished figure in the aviation community and periodic contributor to Plane & Pilot, Blair brings extensive experience as an active single- and multiengine instructor and FAA Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE), having issued more than 1,000 pilot certificates.

The 11th edition aligns seamlessly with the Airman Certification Standards (ACS), ensuring that it meets the latest industry standards and regulations. The guide adopts a user-friendly, Q&A format, presenting the most likely questions evaluators may pose during the practical exam. In addition to concise responses, FAA references are strategically incorporated, allowing for further in-depth study.

One of the significant highlights of this edition is the expanded content covering pilot regulations, airworthiness, weather, airplane systems, emergency procedures, performance and limitations, cross-country flight, human factors, flight maneuvers, and scenario-based training. This holistic approach makes the Commercial Pilot Oral Exam Guide not only a key preparation tool for a check ride but also a valuable general refresher for seasoned pilots.

Measuring 5.25-by-8.25 inches and spanning 352 pages, the guide comes in a convenient softcover format. The user-friendly layout and comprehensive content make it an ideal study companion for those pursuing a commercial pilot certificate.

Aviation learners and professionals can find the Commercial Pilot Oral Exam Guide at their local FBO, preferred online retailers, or directly on the ASA website. Whether you’re embarking on your journey to become a commercial pilot or seeking to enhance your existing knowledge, this latest edition can become an essential companion in mastering the skies.

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University of North Dakota’s flight school has decided to abandon Swift UL94 and return to 100LL after exhaust valve recession in Lycoming-powered aircraft. The school conducted an extensive trial using the new unleaded fuel almost exclusively in its Lycoming-powered Piper Archers and Seminoles. After recording exhaust valve recession, the school opted to return to 100LL in October. 

Partly because students were interested in a less-polluting fuel, the school switched to Swift Fuel’s ASTM-spec UL94 in late June. In four months of flying totaling 46,000 hours, the school found evidence of significant valve recession in some of the Archers. The school’s director of maintenance, Dan Kasowski, told AVweb Wednesday (Nov. 8) that the total number of aircraft impacted isn’t known yet because the data is still being collected. The data is being forwarded to Lycoming for analysis. “The fuel is on-spec, so that’s not a problem. I don’t want to speculate on what it could be. We’re waiting for Lycoming to tell us,” Kasowski said.

Valve seat recession was a known problem when unleaded fuels were introduced in the automotive market starting in the 1970s. As explained in this AVweb video, the precise mechanism is debatable, but hardened valve seats and cylinder heads tamped down recession damage. Lycoming addressed this issue in its cylinders during the 1990s and was believed to have valve seats and guides suited for unleaded fuels. Lycoming said it was “proactively evaluating” the data received from UND and would provide appropriate guidance based on its analysis. As of today’s deadline, Swift’s Chris D’Acosta confirmed that Lycoming is looking at materials, pilot operating methods, flight telemetry and additional data to understand the findings at UND. “The comment attributed to equivalent spark plug fouling and replacement vs. 100LL is generally not consistent with our own experience with UL94. This may be an indication of different operating methods at UND than elsewhere,” D’Acosta said.

UND’s Jeremy Roesler said when the school made the switch in June, it did so only after setting up a maintenance monitoring program to track potential issues with UL94. “We are overcautious,” he said. “When we started finding these issues, we needed to ask ourselves how bad does it have to get before we switch back to 100LL?” he said. With intense daily flight operations, aircraft down for maintenance were a worry for UND. “We’re big on how it affects our students. It is causing some delays. So it’s not in our best interest to accelerate back to UL94,” he added.

To monitor for cylinder wear, the school conducted regular compression checks on its fleet of Archers and also did the so-called “dry tappet” check. This involves removing and cleaning the tappets and reinstalling them with the pushrods in place. The clearance between the rocker arm and the valve stem is then checked. If the valve seat is recessing, this clearance will progressively diminish as the valve recedes farther into the cylinder head. Kasowski said the Lycoming specified minimum clearance is 0.028 inch and some of the cylinders exceeded this limit. If the recession is deep enough, the valve won’t close against the seat and power loss or burned valves can result. Recession was measured only on exhaust valves, not intake valves.

In addition to data sent to Lycoming, UND is also sending both cylinders and engines for further analysis. Kasowski said after 46,000 flight hours, the school had about the same replacement rate for spark plugs as on 100LL, nor was spark plug fouling noticeably reduced.

Another operator we’ve been monitoring for more than two years is Rabbit Aviation Services in San Carlos, California. The company oversees maintenance and fueling of a pair of flying clubs totaling nearly 10,000 hours of flight per year. Rabbit CEO Dan DeMeo said experience with UL94 has been universally positive with less spark plug fouling and cleaner oil. Rabbit has been offering UL94 for two and a half years.

Editor’s note: This is a developing story that originally appeared on avweb.com. Find updates there as the story unfolds.

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The Pilot 100i has made a recent impact in the flight training sphere, becoming a top choice among flight schools of varying sizes. The aircraft features a full Garmin avionics suite, including the GFC 500 digital autopilot, GNX 375 transponder, G5 standby display, and G3X touch-screen PFD/MFD. It optimizes the trusted PA-28-181 for the demands of flight schools.

Skyborne has gained recognition for training career-focused pilots from around the world and within the U.S. Its emphasis on professional training programs has elevated its reputation, and earlier this year, it joined forces with Delta Air Lines to establish Propel Flight Academy by Delta. This strategic partnership offers students a pathway to a possible career with Delta, complete with financial support options. Skyborne’s outstanding industry reputation and strategic location played a pivotal role in securing this exclusive designation.

Skyborne operates a fleet of more than 50 Piper Warriors, Arrows, and Seminoles. The addition of the Pilot 100i fleet signifies its entrance into the Piper Flight School Alliance. This initiative spotlights leading training programs operating new-production Piper aircraft. Deliveries of the school’s Pilot 100i aircraft commenced last week, with the distribution schedule extending into 2025.

“Piper Aircraft is proud to partner with Skyborne, our neighbors just down the taxiway from Piper headquarters,” said Ron Gunnarson, vice president of sales, marketing, and customer support at Piper, in a release. “Skyborne has an impressive history of training professional and competent pilots using Piper fleet products, and now with the addition of the Pilot 100i, we look forward to continuing to support that legacy.”

Said Dan Peterson, Skyborne’s managing director: “We are incredibly excited to add 11 Piper Pilot 100is to our fleet of 52 Piper aircraft, With these new Pilot 100is, we will be able to continue delivering world-class training to our student pilots. Piper being our neighbor and partner has been extremely beneficial to us both, as we train the next generation of pilots, and Piper continues to provide top-of-the-line aircraft.”

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The aircraft were slated to be ferried from Independence, Kansas, to Southern Illinois Airport (KMDH). Several SIU aviation program officials, including director José R. Ruiz, chief flight instructor Steven Goetz, and several flight instructors were to be on hand to welcome the new aircraft.

“I am very excited at the prospect of acquiring seven new flight training aircraft because of the impact the new additions will have on our ability to serve our students,” Ruiz said. “Our students deserve the finest flight training available, and these new aircraft will assist us in meeting that expectation.”

According to Goetz, there were more than 350 students enrolled in the aviation flight program in the Fall of 2022, and he expects that number to increase in 2023. With the new additions, the number of aircraft available to the students climbs to 47.

Goetz noted that the fleet includes airplanes that rolled off the assembly line in the 1970s, and continuous maintenance and upgrades keep the aircraft airworthy.

“We use every bit of life out of them in order to make sure that we are being good stewards of our students’ money,” Goetz explains. “As the aviation industry grows, we have more and more demand for pilots and for flight training. Being able to bring on new airplanes that will allow our students to train on a modern flight deck and prepare for their careers better positions us to support the needs of the aviation industry in the nation.”

SIU Aviation has several aviation majors including aviation flight, aviation management, and aviation technologies.

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