1 April 2016
Tecnam has completed construction of the first prototype of its new P2012 Traveller twin. The aircraft was taxied out of the Experimental Assembly Line and onto the ramp at Tecnam’s base at Capua Airport, Italy. Managing director, Paolo Pascale and Lorenzo De Stefano, Tecnam’s test pilot, were in the cockpit.
The Tecnam P2012 Traveller is an 11-seat mini-airliner powered by pair of Lycoming TEO-540-C1A piston engines. It is designed to comply with both the US FAR Part-23 and Europe’s CS-23 airworthiness standards, and is a joint project between Tecnam and Cape Air, one of the largest regional airlines in the USA.
Paolo Pascale said, “The P2012 Traveller is yet another superlative aircraft designed by Professor Luigi Pascale, with the aim of meeting growing demands of regional short-haul transportation operators in particular.”
Tecnam’s Walter Da Costa, Cape Air’s Stan Bernstein, Giovanni Pascale and Paolo Pascale of Tecnam, and Cape Air’s Jim Goddard about to taxi the P2012 out of the hangar.
Jim Goddard of Cape Air said, “Cape Air is committed to working with Tecnam to meet the current development of the P2012 Traveller. As both a lifelong airplane and aviation enthusiast, taking part in today’s P2012 roll-out was a special treat that will be remembered for a lifetime.”
Cape Air is unlike other airlines with a fleet of aircraft including 84 Cessna 402s (6-10 seat light twins), two ATR-42s, four Britten-Norman Islanders, and two Cessna Caravan Amphibians. It’s an employee-owned company and operates up to 550 flights per day.
