• READ MORE: Tecnam Brings the P-Mentor to North America

About the P-Mentor

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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. 

• READ MORE: Top Picks in Today’s Light Sport Aircraft Market

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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Quality Fly, a Madrid-based flight school, has announced a remarkable 37 percent growth in its fleet in 2023, recently adding a Tecnam P2006 multiengine piston airplane to the fold to complement the two P2008 singles it integrated earlier in the year. The school said the strategic expansion is aimed at upholding its commitment to providing top-notch airline pilot training.

The addition of the new Tecnam P2006 represents the second purchase of that model in November. The growth doesn’t end there, as the school said it is planning for additional aircraft arrivals in 2024 to meet the rising demand for enrollment.

Tecnam aircraft constitute 10 of Quality Fly’s fleet of 11, featuring three P2002JFs, five P2008JCs, and two Tecnam P2006Ts. The remaining airplane, a Cessna 172S, also plays a crucial role in upset prevention and recovery training.

Tecnam airplanes stand out as a gold standard for flight schools, renowned for their exceptional efficiency, boasting lower operational costs and enhanced sustainability. The company’s aircraft offer students unmatched visibility, facilitating seamless transitions between high-wing and low-wing environments.

Quality Fly’s new Tecnam P2006 is equipped with a factory-installed traffic advisory system, Garmin obstacle and terrain warning system, and accelerometer. The school said these features, coupled with ongoing upgrades across the fleet, demonstrate its dedication to providing a technologically advanced and safe learning environment.

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In their second event, Aero Showcase is hosting a flock of airplanes at one of Florida’s most vibrant recreational aviation airports. Partners Alex Rolinski and Doma Andreka return for the second annual of their own event, which follows on the heels of the DeLand Showcase that ran several years, all of which grew out of the Sebring LSA Expo.

While the DeLand event is still growing compared to those earlier events, it enjoys a beautiful new facility and will present a good selection of airplanes. When I asked attendees at last year’s first Aero Showcase, most thought the organizers did credibly well.

The time of year is a perfect choice, judged from studying decades of detailed skydiving jump records—DeLand is a world center for sport parachuting. In addition, the snowbirds have not arrived en masse by early November, so restaurants have few waiting lists, and hotel rooms and rental cars are more modestly priced than they will be January through March.

Using the apron out front of the new terminal building makes it easy on visitors and vendors alike. The Airport Restaurant & Gin Mill restaurant draws people from town on a steady basis. It’s a matter of steps to a sandwich or a beverage. Onsite, Aero Showcase plans a Thirsty Husky Coffee Truck (Friday only) and an ice cream truck.

Tecnam Partnership

The partners at Aero Affinity have been busy, in fact moving in multiple directions at once. While the organization plans to start building a new hangar facility at the DeLand airport later this year, the enterprise has signed a new agreement with Tecnam, arguably the world’s largest manufacturer of light aircraft. Formed in 1948, Tecnam is headquartered in Capua, Italy, and operates subsidiaries in Sebring, Florida, USA, and Brisbane, Australia.

“Tecnam is pleased to announce a dedicated maintenance training program for the Americas, flight schools, service centers and all other interested parties in partnership with DeLand, Florida-based Aero Affinity Holding Company,” the Italian manufacturer said.

The several companies under Rolinski and Andreka’s direction sell airplanes, build airplanes, offer services, present training courses, and in their spare time, they put on the Aero Showcase mentioned above. Tecnam was obviously impressed.

“To achieve the highest level of service, we are introducing customized training packages, provided by Tecnam’s Technical Representative Partner, the DeLand, Florida-based Aero Affinity Holding Company,” said Tecnam. “These will consist of multiple programs from our fleet, ensuring that our customers gain a great insight into our philosophy as aircraft pioneers.”

The courses will cover the entire Tecnam fleet, including light sport, with detailed overview of the entire Tecnam fleet or specific model requested and with special focus on airframe, engine, and systems. They will be offered in different editions for different locations such as Ontario, Canada, Florida, and California.

At the end of the courses, participants will have complete insight into the Tecnam world and be eligible to become an Authorized Tecnam Service Center.

While the Tecnam deal is certainly important to this growing enterprise, Rolinski traveled for full factory training with Continental Aerospace motors to set up his company for diesel aircraft engine service work. Its heart is in LSA, but its vision is broad.

Van’s Aircraft Difficulties

As last week ended, Van’s Aircraft, producer of the world’s most successful line of kit aircraft—and manufacturer of the LSA-compliant RV-12—shared some difficult information.

In keeping with a strong reputation built over many years, the news was presented clearly, honestly, and forthrightly. Founder Dick VanGrunsven spoke on behalf of his company.

“Van’s currently faces serious cash flow issues, which must be addressed quickly to ensure ongoing operations,” began VanGrunsven. “We are confident we can work through this situation, but some changes are required.”

Through mid-November this year, “shipments will be delayed, kit orders will not be processed, and refunds will not be issued. We will be unable to conduct factory tours and demo flights,” said Van’s.

Van’s faced a perfect storm that started when pandemic-driven price increases raised its costs. Then, an overseas contractor used an inferior primer, resulting in aluminum corrosion forming on a large number of kits. Next, Van’s had some outsourced laser-cut parts that showed problems. Many builders alerted the company.

Although Van’s has carefully constructed its enterprise and has satisfied many thousands of customers, even a well-run company can run into multiple problems at once that can overwhelm it for a time. Van’s will solve this and I hope its many customers, new and former, will not only cut it some slack but perhaps step up to help.

The very best is for you to listen to the boss himself explain the situation in the clear and concise manner for which he is known (video below; 3 minutes). VanGrunsven stepped up with his wife to provide additional funds to put the world’s largest kit aircraft maker onto a sounder footing.

The post Affordable Aircraft News-Tecnam, Van’s and More appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

And judging by the enthusiasm of flight school buyers in the U.S., the aircraft is set to disrupt a market dominated by an aging fleet of primary trainers, often half a century old or more. 

The P-Mentor is a two-seat aircraft designed to be a primary training platform, equipped with Garmin avionics and boasting almost unheard-of fuel economy at 3.7 gallons per hour. This low consumption translates to low operating costs for owners and renters, and means lower CO2 emissions.

“People ask, why P-Mentor—what’s behind that name?” said Dave Copeland, director of sales in the U.S. for Tecnam. “P,” he said, is for the Pascali family “[that stands] behind every one of the 7,500 aircraft that have been delivered over the past 75 years. In addition, the ‘P’ stands for passion, of which each Tecnam is taken from dream to reality. And, of course, the ‘P’ also stands for pilots who will grace the controls.”

As for the second part of its name, Copeland said, “the P-Mentor was derived by the Pascali family from the heritage of naming solutions that relates to the four pillars of mentoring.” These include the matching of a strong partnership, training, coaching, and support. 

“The P-Mentor was carefully designed to offer the ultimate platform for training,” Copeland said. “It’s been over half a century since the aviation world has delivered an aircraft that is capable and approved to fly like the P-Mentor. It’s very hard to compare the P-Mentor to any other aircraft in the world…No other aircraft in over 60 years has been certified to the standards that the P-Mentor has been approved [for]. Yes—60 years. 

“Tecnam looks at general aviation as a today thing—not as a legacy thing,” Copeland added. “At Tecnam, we feel students, pilots, and our environment deserve more than an aircraft designed back in the ’40s, the ’50s, and the ’60s. They deserve a current aircraft that allows them to learn in a comfortable cabin that offers the latest in ergonomic amenities along with an avionics suite that offers friendly flyer touch-screen avionics, a three-axis autopilot dynamic…and the list goes on.”

Tecnam P-Mentor Specs:

• Engine: Rotax 912iSc3
• Power: 100 hp
• Fuel Consumption: 3.7 gph
• Fuel Capacity: 34 gal.
• Max Takeoff Weight: 1,587 lb.
• Empty Weight, Standard: 948 lb.
• Useful Load: 640 lb.
• Max Cruise Speed: 120 kts.
• Stall Speed (flaps down power off): 44 kts. 
• Ceiling: 13,000 ft.
• Rate of Climb: 750 fpm
• Range: 730 nm

The P-Mentor’s fuel consumption results in up to nine operating hours between refuelings, a boon for flight schools and GA owners alike, according to Copeland. This also means a lower environmental impact per flight hour. 

“The P-Mentor…offers the lowest CO2 footprint of any aircraft of its type in the world,” said Copeland. “The P-Mentor is a simple and sustainable platform and a new solution to guide students through maybe their first flight through their advanced ratings in one single platform. The P-Mentor’s constant-speed propeller, paired with a tapered wing, specifically designed with a laminar airflow, and a one-piece leading edge allow P-Mentor to pass the CS-23 amendment requirements for low-speed stall characteristics without the requirement of a ballistic recovery system.” 

Copeland added that a BRS is optional along with a simulated gear handle for advanced proficiencies. 

As part of Wednesday’s ceremony, Tecnam invited representatives from the flight schools that have committed to P-Mentor purchases for their fleet to speak about why they opted for this training platform over other options in the market. These included Kansas City-area-based Kilo Charlie Aviation, Vermont Flight Academy, and Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas. 

In a surprise, Walter Da Costa, chief sales officer for Tecnam, stepped up to the podium with a special announcement. 

“I would like to inform today that we just right now confirmed a new member of the Tecnam family…at the show,” said Da Costa, inviting founder and CEO Ed Stefan of Des Moines, Iowa-based EpicSky Flight Academy to the podium to sign an agreement to a purchase 15 P-Mentors for its fleet. Tecnam will begin delivering the P-Mentors at a rate of two to three per month beginning in June 2024, said Da Costa. 

“When someone comes in our door…[and] don’t sign up, [we] feel like we did them a disservice,” said Stefan. “We feel like we hurt them. We feel like we didn’t adequately explain to them that this is a golden age of aviation. The opportunities are limitless.”

Stefan went on to rave about how the P-Mentor will benefit the flight school.

“We have a purpose-built plane that sips the fuel, so it’s less money for our students,” he said. “We have the latest and greatest technological advancements—everything a growing boy or girl could possibly think to ask for. We have a cockpit experience, which is second to none. I mean, Italian leather—how could you go wrong?”

Building on a theme of family that permeated the press conference, Stefan added, “Walter and I met—when did we meet, Walter?”

“Yesterday,” answered Da Costa.

“Yesterday,” confirmed Stefan, addressing the crowd again. “Did you hear that? It was yesterday. And here we are. But the story is so compelling. If anyone listening to this has not looked at Tecnam as a training platform, I have to ask: What are you thinking? What are you doing? Why are you letting your students fly, not just on dad’s airplane but on dad’s dad’s airplane? Why are you letting your students fly in technology that was built in the ’40s and ’50s? Come on guys, this is 2023. And now we have a manufacturing organization that understands that it’s 2023.”

Copeland closed by citing  Tecnam’s pride in its engineering, design, certifications, production line, employment expansions, product improvements, new model introductions, sustainable platforms, customers, and more.

“Our top-down commitment to general aviation has led us to these hallowed grounds here at Oshkosh, where aviators fill the air and future pilots seek what’s next,” he said. “We trust that you see why Tecnam is proof that the future of general aviation is alive and well and that we’ve dedicated the future of flight, so we can all soar higher.”

The Tecnam P-Mentor is featured on the cover of the July 2023, Issue 939 of FLYING.

Editor’s note: an earlier version of this story incorrectly listed EpicSky Flight Academy as “EpicSky Aviation,” and has since been corrected.

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