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Tecnam also has a flight academy co-located in Capua providing a great opportunity to evaluate the use of their planes in a training environment.
Francesco offered us any aircraft in their fleet to fly, from their P92 to the P2012. I chose a P2010 from the Tecnam Flight Academy powered by the Continental CD- 170 diesel engine.
Avgas is limited and very expensive in much of the world, and the P2010 with CD-170 is a great choice for those situations where Jet A is the best option. It was also a perfect choice for our planned tour of the countryside and coast down to Napoli and the island, Ischia, where we were headed afterward.
After a pre-flight, Jane, Francesco, and I boarded the high- wing airplane for the flight. Boarding the plane through the large pilot and co-pilot doors is effortless. Rear passengers enter through a third door on the right side. The quality of the interior was excellent, with high attention to detail and comfort for tall pilots. The diesel started easily and even at idle was very smooth with runup procedures you would expect from an engine with the latest technology. Takeoff was straightforward, and soon we were flying over the beautiful Italian countryside viewing farms where the finest buffalo mozzarella originates.
We flew southwest to the coast over Pozzuoli, just north of Napoli, then headed to tour Ischia with Capri in the distance. The P2010, with its smooth handling and ultra- efficient turbo diesel, was fun to fly and made for a great observation platform. Francesco pointed out his favorite locations on the island, and we circled around Ischia and the Castello Aragonese (Aragonese Castle), first established in 474 BC. It was a great way to pick a travel location for the next few days, and we highly recommend it as a vacation destination to explore.
The Napoli Coast on the way home to Capua was just as scenic, with a view of Mount Vesuvius southeast of Naples and one of several volcanos in the Campanian area. Flying over the farming area west of Capua we spotted the Tec- nam factory next to the grass runway, outlined by white markers. After flying a pattern to a short landing roll, we were back at the factory in a few minutes.
The aviation community is fortunate to have so many innovative companies and individuals, and we’re sure the Pascale brothers would be quite pleased to know that after 75 years Tecnam continues to carry on the spirit of Italian aviation design and manufacturing.
Standard Aero
https://covington.com
With 12,000+ hours of piloting more than 100 aircraft models, Rich Pickett still has a passion for flying. Rich holds an ATP, CFII SME, SES, glider licenses, and type ratings in the L29, L39, Citation 500/510s/525s, Eclipse 500S, Beechcraft Premier and DA10. His company, Personal Wings, provides
training, mentoring and aircraft services. You can contact Rich at rich@personalwings.com.
August 2023 / TWIN & TURBINE • 7