Embry-Riddle
Aeronautical University has a new plane to fly. Costruzioni
Aeronautiche Tecnam Srl. and Michael and Lynne Birmingham, U.S.
distributors for the Tecnam line of aircraft, have donated a brand
new 2009 Tecnam P-92 Echo Classic, S-LSA, to Embry-Riddle's
nationally ranked Daytona Beach flight team. Embry-Riddle's Daytona
Beach flight team will be the first in the nation to fly the new
plane in the upcoming National Intercollegiate Flying Association's
SAFECON 2009 competition May 17-29 at Parks College of St. Louis
University.
Light Sport is an emerging general aviation industry in the
United States that is capitalizing on market demand for airplanes
that use less fuel, offer a wider range of avionics, and are
lighter and more maneuverable than most standard category aircraft.
C.A. Tecnam Srl. and the Birminghams donated the P-92 Echo Classic
to Embry-Riddle's flight team after becoming familiar with the
university's flight training program at a recent National Training
Aircraft Symposium the College of Aviation sponsors each year.
"Our partnership with Embry-Riddle is an opportunity for Tecnam
to demonstrate the quality of its plane - its engineering and
versatility - and also to recognize Embry-Riddle's program for its
high level of quality, training, and strict safety management,"
said Lynne Birmingham. "This donation is our way of supporting and
encouraging the next generation of general and commercial aviation
pilots."
The P-92 can cruise at 114 knots at 75 percent power, burning
less than four gallons of fuel per hour. It has a 100-horsepower
Rotax engine, with a basic weight of 710 pounds and a maximum
takeoff weight of 1,320 pounds.
"We are very pleased to add the P-92 to our competitive aircraft
fleet and especially grateful to C.A. Tecnam Srl. and the
Birmingham family for their generosity," said David Zwegers, coach
of Embry-Riddle's Daytona Beach flight team and aviation safety
manager for the flight program.
"With the P-92's high maneuverability at slower flight speeds,
this aircraft will improve our nationally competitive flight team's
performance," said Zwegers.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world's largest, fully
accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace,
offers more than 30 degree programs in its colleges of Arts and
Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Engineering, educating more than
34,000 students annually in undergraduate and graduate
programs.