Photograph:
Tecnam Astore ZK-AST (c/n D15) at Tauranga, New Zealand in April 2015 (David C Eyre)
Country of origin:
Italy
Description:
Two-seat light sport monoplane
Power Plant:
One 80 kw (100 hp) Rotax 912iULS four-cylinder horizontally-opposed liquid-and-air-cooled engine
Specifications:
- Wingspan: 8.65 m (28 ft 4 in)
- Length: 7 m (23 ft)
- Height: 2.3 m (7 ft 5 in)
- Max speed: 244 km/h (152 mph)
- Cruising speed at 75% power: 222 km/h (138 mph)
- Stalling speed flaps down power off: 65 km/h (40 mph)
- Practical ceiling: 4,572 m (15,000 ft)
- Take-off run: 105 m (344 ft)
- Landing run: 90 m (295 ft)
- Rate of climb: 366 m/min (1,200 ft/min)
- Fuel capacity: 110 litres (24 imp gals)
- Loaded weight: 600 kg (1,320 lb)
- Baggage allowance: 40 kg (85 lb)
History:
Costruzioni Aeronautiche Tecnam of Capua in Italy has for some years developed and produced a range of light aircraft for the sports pilot. A new aircraft was announced in 2013 known as the Astore (Goshawk), the prototype of which flew for the first time at Naples in June 2013, this being a new two-seat low-wing monoplane of all-metal construction supplied by the Company as a complete ready-to-fly aircraft. It was aimed at a market for a touring monoplane in which one could find typical luxury car styling, both for the interior and the exterior.
The Astore has 3D formed sheet metal construction. Standard equipment includes an I-Pad and the canopy may be locked by a remote control similar to a car. It also has provision for hearing music, answering a phone, WiFi connection with LEVIL ARHS, and a pitot static system in order to display on the I-Pad the attitude and speed / altitude / GPS parameters or compute the weight and balance etc. Seat belts are four-point self-regulating and a ballistic parachute can be installed. Fuel is carried in two 55 litre tanks, one in each wing, giving a total of 24 Imp gals.
Designed to comply with US LSA rules, three power plants are available, being the Rotax 912ULS, the Rotax 912iULS and the turbocharged 914 driving a two-blade MT composite-covered wooden constant speed propeller. It is a cantilever low-wing side-by-side aircraft with a bubble canopy and a fixed tricycle undercarriage.
The aircraft was first shown to the public at Aero Friedrichshafen in Germany in 2013 and on 1 April 2014 the aircraft was shown to the public in the United States at the Sun’n Fun International Fly-in at Lakeland, Florida, receiving a US Special Certificate from the FAA the week before.
The wings are NACA63A series aerofoil and have Frise type ailerons actuated by push-rods, while large electrically actuated single-slotted flaps ranging from 0 to 35 degrees cover approximately a third of the trailing edge. It may be fitted with the Dynon SkyView Touch or Garmin G3X Touch avionics packages.
A facility was set-up at Sebring in Florida for assembly and customer services, and an assembly plant was also set up at Watsonville in California.
First of the series registered in this region was ZK-AST (c/n D15) in New Zealand registered to Tecnam Australasia on 5 August 2014.