Tecnam’s 11-seat P2012 Traveller twin flew for the first time, in Capua, Italy, last week, the company has announced. Test pilot Lorenzo De Stefano said he checked the basic behavior of the aircraft, engine and flight controls. “The aircraft responded exactly as expected,” he said. “After a couple of circuits around the airfield, I landed and the Traveller stopped in a very short distance.” The P2012 will first enter service carrying passengers for Cape Air, Tecnam said. The versatile airplane can also be outfitted to fulfill other needs, including VIP transport, cargo, skydiving operations and medevac services.
The P2012 is powered by two Lycoming 350-HP, turbocharged, six-cylinder, direct-drive, horizontally opposed air-cooled engines that can burn either avgas or mogas. It will cruise at about 175 knots and can fly more than 600 NM nonstop, the company says. The cockpit will feature Garmin glass avionics with three screen displays. The company is working toward certification by both EASA and FAA. Cape Air, which is based out of Hyannis, Massachusetts, operates more than 525 flights every day, with a fleet of 83 Cessna 402s, 4 Britten-Norman Islanders, 2 Cessna Caravan Amphibians and 2 ATRs. Tecnam has a wide variety of airplanes from their stable on display this week at their AirVenture exhibit near show center, but the P2012 remains in Italy.
