Tecnam yesterday announced that the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) had issued a type certificate for the short take-off and landing (STOL) version of the P2012 Traveller.
The Traveller is a piston high-wing twin that seats 11, and the P2012 STOL version has been engineered to operate from airports and airstrips characterised by extremely short runways and demanding operational constraints.
Tecnam developed the new STOL version over an 18-month certification campaign, which revealed impressive take-off and landing performance, while still maintaining a 99% commonality of parts with the standard P2012 Traveller.
"Addressing the needs of a niche market that has been underdeveloped and unsupported for decades, with the P2012 STOL Tecnam once again provides a solution for operators seeking a modern, spacious, comfortable, safe yet stylish aircraft with outstanding STOL capabilities for their business," the company said in the announcement.
"With the production aircraft already in the final stage of the assembly line, the P2012 STOL is ready for the first deliveries to customers filling an uncovered gap of the commercial aviation."
According to Tecnam, the STOL P2012 has a take-off distance at MTOW of 425 m and a landing distance at MLW of 360 m. By comparison, the standard P2012 has performance figures of 682 m and 590 m respectively. The STOL version has a useful load of 1284 kg, whereas the standard version can be loaded up with 1414 kg.
Tecnam now manufacturers and markets three versions of the Lycoming-powered P2012: standard version, STOL version and a special missions version.
Torres Strait Air signed for five new P2012s in September last year, including options for three STOL versions.