It was an historical day for Tecnam and for the P2012 program when the first two Traveller aircraft were ready to depart Tecnam headquarters in Capua, Italy, and wing their way across the world to Massachusetts, US.

With this ferry flight to the first customer, the P2012 Traveller is officially born and in service. These first two aircraft represent the first batch of the 100 Travellers ordered by Cape Air as a result of a thorough and intensive development process in conjunction with Tecnam.

A ferry flight across the Atlantic takes more than a safe, reliable aeroplane. It also takes skill, confidence and a great deal of experience. So, when Tecnam needed a crew to fly these first two P2012 Traveller aircraft from Italy to the US, who better to take on the task than the Managing Director himself?

Grandson of the founding brothers, 28-year-old Giovanni Pascale stepped up to the role of Pilot in Command and successfully led his crew on this 4,000 NM journey, which took only three days to complete. He ferried one of the P2012 Travellers together with Co-pilot Elio Rullo, while Capt. Vito Preti and Technician Antonio Covino flew the other. There may have been just four crew members on board, but to these men it seemed that, spiritually, the entire Tecnam team had accompanied them on their journey, staying in close communication at all times, and cheering them on from afar.

There were fuel stops in five different countries. Their first airport was Groningen Airport in the Netherlands, followed by Inverness in Scotland and Reykjavic in Iceland. Next came Narsarsuaq in Greenland, which is known as one of the world’s most demanding airports because landing requires approach to the runway through a fjord, surrounded by mountains and glaciers.

Their final refuelling was at Goose Bay Airport in Canada, before heading due south to Barnstable Airport in Hyannis, Massachusetts, US., where they were greeted by enthusiastic Cape Air Executives, Founder & CEO Dan Wolf, President Linda Markham and James Goddard – Senior Vice President, Fleet Planning & Acquisitions.

The Tecnam crew members were kept constantly busy during the flight. In the air, they were hyper alert, flying around the weather in very tough and sometimes challenging conditions.  When on the ground there was no time to rest or eat, they were refilling fuel and filing flight plans and then getting back in the air as quickly as possible to take advantage of the weather.

Powered by two 375 HP turbo-charged Lycoming engines, the 11-seat Tecnam P2012 Traveller has a fuel capacity of 750 litres in the wings, but on this ferry flight — the longest ever for Tecnam — they carried an extra 450 litres in a collapsible ferry tank in the rear of the aircraft, significantly extending their range.

It was a very rewarding experience for the Tecnam crew, chasing the sun from one country to another, right across the world, with breathtaking landscapes and stunning topography along the way, especially crossing the Labrador Sea between Greenland and Canada.

More info on the P2012 Traveller https://tecnam.com/aircraft/p2012

VIDEO

Tecnam announced today that Cape Air has taken acceptance of their first two new Tecnam P2012 Travellers.

The Acceptance of the aircraft, P2012 SN003 and P2012 SN004, took place from July 16 to July 18, 2019 at Tecnam Headquarters – Capua, in the presence of Cape Air Senior Vice President, Fleet Planning & Acquisitions, Jim Goddard, and Tecnam Chief Operating Officer, Giovanni Pascale.

Pilots and technicians from Cape Air had two days to inspect the aircraft, check all manuals and documents, and perform flight testing. The inspections were performed in the P2012 Production Facility, where other fuselages to be delivered to Cape Air are in stages of completion.

Acceptance of the Aircraft is the last milestone before final delivery. A ferry flight from Capua, Italy to the Cape Air base in Hyannis, MA will be performed by Giovanni Pascale himself as Pilot in Command.

Powered by two 375 HP turbo-charged Lycoming engines, the Tecnam P2012 Traveller features a modern design and state-of-the-art equipment. The aircraft’s simple and easily accessed airframe and systems, fixed landing gear, robust interiors and easy-to-replace parts, result in high efficiency and low maintenance costs. These attributes, and many more, make it the ideal aircraft for regional airlines such as Cape Air. As part of the delivery, Tecnam also included Bose A20 headsets and Jeppesen bags for the pilots. These were much appreciated.

More info on the P2012 Traveller
https://tecnam.com/aircraft/p2012-traveller/

Giovanni Pascale, Tecnam Chief Operating Officer, said: “Since Day One, having met Jim and all the guys at Cape Air, we felt confident about achieving what we did today. Their competence and vision led us here. We are very proud to be a partner in Cape Air’s future and delighted that Tecnam will be a key part of their ongoing success.”

Jim Goddard – Senior Vice President, Fleet Planning & Acquisitions, said: “On behalf of all of Cape Air, it is with great pleasure that we announce that we have successfully completed the final technical and flight performance acceptance phase of the P2012 aircraft project. The years of collaboration between Cape Air, Tecnam, Lycoming Engines and Garmin Avionics has created a truly exceptional and economical aircraft for our customers and employees. We look forward to taking final delivery of our first two aircraft in the coming weeks. Having this process come full circle, from when we first started discussions with Tecnam to today’s reality of a brand-new aircraft, marks a milestone in Cape Air’s 30-year history.”

About Cape Air

In its 30^th year, Cape Air is one of the largest independent regional airlines in the United States, serving over 35 cities in the US and the Caribbean. The employee-owned company, based in Hyannis, Massachusetts, has grown from three flights a day between Provincetown and Boston in 1989 to a fleet of 84 Cessna 402s, 4 Britten-Norman Islanders and 11 Cessna 208 seaplanes, with up to 400 flights a day and service to over 500,000 passengers annually. Cape Air has been recognized as “One of the Top Ten Small Airlines in the World” by Condé Nast Traveler.

https://www.capeair.com