Luigi Pascale, the founder, president and chief preliminary design officer at Tecnam Aircraft, died at age 93 on Tuesday, after a brief illness. Pascale’s interest in aviation started young, when he entered model airplane races with his brother Giovanni. He earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering, and in 1951, he and Giovanni built their first airplane, the P48 Astore. The brothers went on to design and fly racing airplanes, including the P55 Tornado. Pascale founded Partenavia in 1957, and began building aircraft for the general aviation market. The two brothers then founded Tecnam in 1986. The two companies have delivered more than 7,000 aircraft worldwide.
Pascale’s last design, the Tecnam P2012 Traveller, is currently being flight tested. His P2006T light-twin aircraft is being used by NASA as the base for an experimental airplane that is testing a new wing design and electric propulsion technology. Pascale has received numerous accolades and awards during his long career, including the Paul Tissandier diploma from Federation Aeronautique Internationale. Last year, Seconda Universit of Naples awarded him an honorary doctorate in aerospace engineering.
