Tecnam P-Mentor Earns Full Part 23 FAA Certification

According to Tecnam, the company is now on track to begin deliveries to U.S. flight schools.

"The FAA certification of the P-Mentor is another significant milestone for the Tecnam team," said  Giovanni Pascale Langer, Tecnam managing director. "We look forward to working with all U.S. flight schools to improve the quality of training and help them keep hourly rates low." 

The performance specs of the Tecnam P-Mentor put its hourly fuel consumption at 3.7 U.S. gallons per hour.

Deliveries of the aircraft in North America will begin soon, with the first 20 going to HCH Aviation/Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. Deliveries will also be made to Kilo Charlie Aviation in New Century, Kansas, and EpicSky Flight Academy in Des Moines, Iowa.

The two-place P-Mentor sports a Rotax 912isC3, with a variable pitch propeller, simulated retractable landing gear, and optional ballistic parachute. The cockpit features a Garmin G3X IFR touchscreen suite compliant with the latest CS-23 EASA and FAA amendments. The aircraft is designed to take a learner from private pilot and instrument training up through commercial certification on a single platform.

According to Capua, Italy-based Tecnam, the P-Mentor is one of the most environmentally efficient designs available, with very low carbon dioxide emissions. 

"Recent study shows that flight schools operating with Tecnam single- and twin-engine fleets can reduce emissions by up to 60 percent: 10 tons of CO2 for each student by the time they receive their commercial pilot license," the company said in a statement.