We Fly: Tecnam P-Mentor

The next expression of a modern trainer comes from an atelier of Italian design.

Julie Boatman

Saturday, December 16, 2023 at 08:00 AM ET

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Tecnam P-Mentor [Credit: Jim Payne]

Key Takeaways:

Tecnam originated from the lifelong passion of brothers Luigi and Giovanni Pascale, who began building model aircraft in the 1930s and established their full-scale aircraft manufacturing company in 1948.
The Tecnam P-Mentor is the company's newest primary trainer, certified under EASA CS 23, positioning it as an advanced platform for aspiring pilots beyond the light sport category.
It features a sophisticated cockpit with twin Garmin G3X Touch displays, a Rotax 912iSC3 engine, and a simulated landing gear warning system designed to prepare pilots for more complex aircraft.
The author found the P-Mentor to be a stable and enjoyable aircraft to fly, with solid controls, predictable handling, and good fuel efficiency, making it well-suited for flight instruction.

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The courtyard of the Castello di Faicchio spans maybe 50 yards from crenellated pillar to stone post. That was wide enough for two boys—ages 10 and 11—to contest each other in a mad sprint, or to watch as their latest model glided down from a balcony perched up on its walls. Before World War II would topple portions of those ramparts, southern Italy in the late1930s didn’t provide much in terms of resources, except for the space in which the boys would construct models late into the night, hiding from their father—and sometimes to the detriment of their schoolwork.

This Article First Appeared in FLYING Magazine

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