After our article in the Twin & Turbine January 2022 issue on Tecnam’s largest twin, the P2012, I wanted to learn more about the Italian aircraft company that had designed such useful and innovative aircraft. Francesco Sferra, Tecnam’s sales and development manager invited us to Capua, Italy to see their operations firsthand. Capua is in the Caserta Province between Rome and Naples on Italy’s western coast. And by the end of the adventure, I had gained such an appreciation of this unique aviation company, which happens to be celebrating its 75th anniversary this year.
As my wife Jane and I arrived at Tecnam’s headquarters at the Capua Airport (LIAU), we weren’t sure if the GPS was correct. It was an unassuming place in a beautiful setting, with olive and peach trees along the road. A small driveway led us to a gate. After parking, we were greeted with cappuccinos and led to a fascinating museum designed by Stephano Mavilio of Tecnam’s marketing and communications department. The museum detailed the roots of Tecnam, including its predecessor, Partenavia, and the original founders, Luigi and Giovanni Pascale. It was an excellent preamble before learning more about Tecnam. Stephano has also compiled the history of the brothers and their aircraft innovations into a noteworthy book, “The Sky is the Limit: An Aviation Legacy”, which is highly recommended for anyone interested in aviation history.
To understand the ambition behind Tecnam’s products, it’s necessary to learn about the Pascale brothers, Luigi ‘Gino’ and Giovanni ‘Nino’. They were destined to work in aviation once they started flying model airplanes from their balcony in the 1920s, continuing by building progressively more complex gliders as they grew up. Living in Naples (Napoli) during World War II, they would salvage downed aircraft from the German and allied militaries, searching for components to build their models and later their first airplane. Mavilio’s book also chronicles the devastation they encountered during the war.
Just after World War II, they cobbled together a single Continental 65 horsepower engine from the remains of four engines that had been abandoned by the US Army Air Corps in Italy as scrap. A cylinder here, a case there, and somehow finding workable magnetos, they built a working aircraft engine. They found a propeller from a US Army Piper L4 and soon had the combination running in their garage. Of course, they needed an airplane on which to mount it, so they designed one. Thus, the P48 Astore project was born in their garage in Napoli. With persistence, the brothers completed it in 1950.
Luigi and Giovanni were designers and builders, not pilots, so they began to look for a test pilot for the P48. The first pilot damaged the plane during a taxi run, however, they were not deterred. While looking for a more suitable test pilot, they started their own aviation training, soloing in only four hours. Finally, in April 1951 the P48 Astore took flight with Mario De Bernardi, an ace of the Italian Air Force, at the controls. The following year, with type certificate approval, the Pascales entered their first air race, The Fourth Air Tour of Sicily. Early the next year they designed the P52 Tigrotto (Tiger) a mid-wing design for a Naples businessman. The Tigrotto was followed by the P55 Tornado for air racing.
In 1957 their new company, Partenavia, became the springboard for production aircraft, starting with the P57 Fachiro, a 4-place high-wing airplane. The company mostly produced aircraft for the local Italian market until the 1960s when Partenavia adventured into international markets. Partenavia also expanded its product line to include two new singles and the development of its first multi-engine airplane, the P68 twin in 1968. The brothers and their team were prolific designers, simultaneously designing and flying a variety of other aircraft including an autogyro and gliders, even one with floats.
In 1981, with pressure from the Italian government, external investors, including the government, took majority ownership shares in the company. It didn’t take long to lose the entrepreneurial spirit of the company. In 1986 Luigi and Giovanni left Partenavia and formed Tecnam Aircraft. Initially, they manufactured components for Partenavia, but shortly thereafter Partenavia entered bankruptcy. Vulcan Air bought the bankrupt Partenavia and still provides support and parts for these fine aircraft.
Tecnam expanded its capabilities and produced traditional sheet metal and composite components for other aircraft companies; horizontal tails for ATR, structural parts for Augusta, and even the fuselage panels for Boeing jets. Not satisfied with only building components, they embarked on another aircraft design, the P92 Echo, an ultralight powered by a new lightweight Rotax aircraft engine. The P92 Mentor, updated with the latest advances, is still produced today and ships around the world.
While the first Tecnam aircraft was the ultralight P92, the company’s extensive capabilities in designing other aircraft became the basis to expand their offerings with larger planes. After the P92, they embarked on the development of more advanced single and multi-engine aircraft. In addition to the ultralight, light sport, Part 23 and Part 25 production aircraft categories used in the United States, the Europeans (EASA) and other countries recognize additional classifications. Without going into extensive detail, the additional EASA categories of light aircraft (CS-VLA) offer additional flexibility for pilots in some operations and are more stringent in others. It does allow lighter aircraft to be designed around specific operating environments, but interestingly enough the EASA Light Sport category allows for a slightly higher gross weight than the US.
With their experience building individual components and complete airframes since 1948, Tecnam manufactures 85% of the aircraft parts in-house, providing a high degree of vertical integration and production. We toured their production and saw that integration from cutting small switch panels on CNC equipment to high-pressure water jets producing parts and the milling and assembly of virtually all the components for their retractable gear. With such full control over the entire design and production of large numbers of components, they can quickly integrate design changes into their aircraft. This integration also demonstrably impacts their supply channel, transportation costs and associated energy consumption. In addition, it has enabled them to have an advantage in controlling production costs.
With a staff of 450, the company annually produces 300 aircraft represented by seven models and numerous variants. Single-engine aircraft include the following: P92, P2002, P2008 JC and P2010. Tecnam’s multi-engine models include the P2012 (standard version) and their newest model the P2012 STOL. Flight schools are 55% of their market, followed by commercial at 30% and the remaining private operators. Tecnam also produces special mission versions of some of its aircraft models.
Their innovative spirit is also evidenced by research and development into all-electric and hybrid-powered prototypes. After concluding earlier this year that current battery technology was not mature enough, Tecnam suspended its P-Volt all-electric program. In addition, a hybrid platform powered by a conventional engine in conjunction with an electric motor uses both power sources for climb performance, then relies solely on the combustion engine during cruise flight. With no current plans for production, though, the information and data found will be beneficial for future development.
Tecnam’s P2006T has also been used as the test bed for NASA’s research vehicle, the X-57 Maxwell. NASA used it to evaluate the potential of electric-motor propulsion in various configurations, replacing the Rotax 912S engines with 60-kilowatt electric motors. Over 7500 aircraft have been produced by Partenavia and Tecnam over the years. As mentioned, Vulcan Air supports the legacy aircraft of Partenavia, and Tecnam supports its current airplanes through 133 service centers and 70 dealers around the world. Impressively, their aircraft are certified to operate in over 70 countries.
Flying A Tecnam
Tecnam is probably the only aircraft manufacturer based at an airport with only a grass runway. Every Tecnam flies from this runway for their initial test flight. It isn’t uncommon to have new aircraft test-flown by senior management, including Francesco and the grandsons of Luigi and Giovanni, Paolo (CEO) and Giovanni (CMO) who run the company. When Tecnam delivered their first P2012 twin to their launch customer, Cape Air, it was Giovanni at the controls on the flight from Capua to Massachusetts. 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 Tecnam 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.
