Photograph:
Tecnam P-92 Echo 24-4234 (c/n 878) at Narromine, NSW in April 2007 (David C Eyre)
Country of origin:
Italy
Description:
Two-seat training / touring monoplane
Power Plant:
One 60 kw (80 hp) Rotax 912UL four-cylinder, four-stroke, liquid-and-air-cooled horizontally-opposed engine
Specifications:
- Wingspan: 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in)
- Length: 6.30 m (20 ft 8 in)
- Height: 1.125 m (3 ft 8¼ in)
- Wing area: 13.20 m² (142.1 sq ft)
- Max speed at sea level: 218 km/h (135 mph)
- Cruising speed at 75% power: 187 km/h (116 mph)
- Stalling speed flaps down: 61 km/h (38 mph)
- Max rate of climb at sea level: 330 m/min (1,082 ft/min)
- Service ceiling: 4,000 m (13,120 ft)
- Endurance: 4 hours 30 min
- Take-off run: 91 m (300 ft)
- Empty weight: 282 kg (622 lb)
- Loaded weight: 450 kg (992 lb)
History:
One of the new breed of light aircraft which can be registered under AUF or RAA regulations, or placed on the general aviation civil register, the P-92 Echo series is marketed by Costruzioni Aeronautiche Tecnam in Naples, Italy, the prototype P-92 Echo making its first flight on 14 March 1993. By 1996 production had reached a rate of six to eight aircraft per month. Six were supplied to the air force of Cambodia for training duties.
The Echo has been produced in a number of variants: the P-92 standard ultralight version with a 60 kw (80 hp) Rotax 912UL engine; the P-92-J with the Rotax 912A engine; and the P-96 Golf which itself is built in two versions, an ultralight version or the P-96J being a higher weight version certified to JAR-VLA standard.
Further variants of the Echo have been developed and marketed, these including the P2000 RG, which is a high-wing variant of the series with a retractable undercarriage. Whereas the P-92 is a high-wing monoplane, the P-96 is a low-wing monoplane variant. More than 2,000 examples of the series has been produced, and more than 120 imported to this region in a variety of models, including the P-92 Echo, Echo S, Echo Super, SeaSky and P-92-JS.
The Echo has dual controls and fuel capacity is 70 litres (15.4 Imp gals). The fuselage is of steel tube construction with some metal and some dacron covering. The undercarriage is non-retractable tricycle. Optional engines include the 60 kw (80 hp) Limbach 2000, and the 48 kw (64 hp) Rotax 582.
The first two examples seen in this region were registered in New Zealand, the first becoming ZK-KMA (c/n 642), registered under Very Light Aircraft Regulations, and ZK-TVB, a P-92J which was fully certificated.
Tecnam produces a large range of ultralight and light aircraft for the world’s market, these including P-92 Echo, P-92-S Echo, P-92 Echo Super, P-92-JS to meet JAR/VLA regulations, P2000 RG, P-92 Seasky fitted with amphibious floats, P-96 Golf, P2002 Sierra, P2002 JF to meet JAR/VLA regulations, P2004 Bravo etc. Examples of most models have been registered in this region.