Nando Groppo, an Italian aircraft manufacturer, debuted their Trial light sport aircraft this week at EAA AirVenture. The all-metal airplane is a short-takeoff-and-landing design capable of operations from rough runways, with folding wings for easy storage. The wing change requires only about five minutes, for one person, with no tools required, the company said. The Trial cruises at 110 mph with a 100-hp Rotax 912 engine. The pilot can fly from either of the tandem seats. The aircraft is available with either tricycle gear or as a taildragger. More than 100 copies are flying, most of them sold as kits.
The Trial can carry up to 40 gallons of fuel for a range of 600 nautical miles and more than six hours of flight time. The airplane sells for $85,000 factory-built, or $25,000 for a kit. It’s also available with 26-inch tundra tires and a belly pod. The company is offering a special Oshkosh promotional price of $79,900.
