Partenavia P.68: The unpopular workhorse
INTRODUCTION You may find it difficult today
to associate the name "Partenavia" with any specific product, but the reality is that since
the middle of the last century and approximately until the beginning of the 1990s, it was a
renowned Italian aircraft manufacturer, originally specialising in products for general aviation.
The company was founded in 1957 by the renowned Italian aeronautical engineer and designer Luigi
Pascale, under the name Partenavia Construzioni Aeronautiche. The 1980s were the most fruitful
decade for the company, which was acquired by the aerospace company Aeritalia in 1981.
Following this acquisition, they focused their efforts on the production of two multipurpose
transport aircraft ideal for any type of mission, both with twin-engine equipment,
being the P.66C Charlie and the P.68 trainer aircraft, and both models were commercially
successful, especially the P.68, which proved to be extremely versatile and functional.
The P.68 first flew in 1970, with production starting a couple of years later. Since then,
the model has evolved and managed to maintain its relevance. Although Partenavia ceased to exist as
a brand, the aircraft manufacturer Vulcanair acquired the patents and continued with the
production and development of the P.68 legacy. We are going to see everything related to this
aircraft, and at the end, you will form your own judgement about it.
DESIGN/EXTERIOR Looking at this beauty,
what do we have here? For starters, this aeroplane is sleek. The fuselage has a smooth,
rounded shape, and the cockpit windows are large and provide excellent visibility for the pilots.
The engines are mounted on the wing, which adds to the aircraft's streamlined appearance. Overall,
the P.68 has a timeless look that has stood the test of time. This plane measures 31.3 feet long,
has a height of 11.5 feet, a wingspan of 39.4 feet, and a wing area of 200.2 square feet.
This bird is a high-wing monoplane, with a quite traditional design that is totally functional and
aerodynamic. Although it does not have the curves and pronounced lines that some of the most recent
aircraft have, the optimum performance in the air of this family of aircraft with more than 50 years
behind them is a total guarantee. On first sight, its pronounced nose, high underwing engines,
and fixed landing gear stand out, even though more recent versions can incorporate a retractable
landing gear depending on the customer's requirements. Its structure has been manufactured
in special corrosion-treated aluminum, which provides structural simplicity, protection
against the elements, and significantly reduces manufacturing costs thanks to the use of aluminum.
INTERIOR The interior of the
Partenavia P.68 is designed with comfort and functionality in mind. The cabin is spacious,
with room for up to six, comfortable seats, and huge legroom. The cabin also features
large windows that provide plenty of natural light and great visibility for passengers.
The cockpit of the P.68 is well-organised and equipped with the latest technology,
including avionics and navigation systems, to make flying as safe and efficient as possible.
Since these aircraft are specially designed to perform observation and reconnaissance missions,
aerial surveillance, maritime patrol, search and rescue, and even transport, from the first models
they have had a simple interior, with compact seats to ensure better use of space but still be
comfortable. Therefore, bearing in mind the type of operations for which the P.68 was developed,
it is certainly not necessary to expect any type of luxury or excessive comfort. This gives it a
wide margin of manoeuvrability, as if it were a kind of giant LEGO, and it is possible to make
the most of space depending on what is needed, either to carry more passengers or to prioritise
the transfer of equipment or merchandise. ENGINE
The Partenavia P68 is powered by two 200-hp Avco Lycoming IO 360 engines,
with two bladed constant speed Hartzell propellers in front, which allows it to reach a maximum
climb rate of 1000 feet per minute (which is not a lot), and achieve a service ceiling of
18,000 feet. The useful load is 1,375 pounds, and while loaded, it is capable of a maximum
cruise speed of 175 knots, with a maximum range of 1,250 nautical miles. The best part is that
it can take off and land with only 787 feet of runway; however, the optimum takeoff and
landing distances for this aircraft are 1,313 feet and 1,969 feet, respectively.
AVIONICS The
P.68 features a glass cockpit, that integrates a Sagem engine monitoring system, integrated
Garmin GNS530W and GNS 430W, GMA347 audio panel, as well as a Garmin GTX330 Mode S transponder and
a PAC24 audio panel. The entire avionics suite is complemented by the S-Tec 55X autopilot,
as well as an AXI-200 attitude and heading reference system, analogue-to-digital converters,
and KN63 distance measuring equipment. SYSTEMS
As standard systems, the most modern versions of the P.68 have a TAS traffic warning system,
specifically the TAS600, weather radar system,
an AIS receiver, and some models integrate a special infrared video camera system.
They are certified to fly in known icing conditions and equipped with a pre-heating
system and improved vision to operate without inconvenience under any type of weather condition.
As extras to complement the active and passive safety aspects of the aircraft, it includes
high-intensity strobe lights, life jackets for the crew, portable emergency locator transmitters,
a voice and data recorder, as well as the traffic alert and collision avoidance system.
MARKET The price of the Partenavia P.68 varies
greatly depending on the year of manufacture, the configuration of the aircraft in question,
and, most importantly, the state in which it is. At the time of this writing, I saw a 1974
model for about $100,000. For brand-new. This plane can be bought for 430 thousand dollars for
its base model. Putting the P.68 face to face with two of its direct rivals, the Cessna 310
and the Piper PA-34 Seneca, both twin-engine aircraft manufactured in the United States.
In terms of useful weight, the Cessna and the P.68 are the best positioned;
the first achieves a useful weight of 1,999 pounds, while the second reaches 1,375 pounds,
and the Piper PA-34 Seneca is only 991 pounds, this is mainly due to its size,
since it is the smallest aircraft of the three. It is precisely this aspect that makes the Piper
PA-34 Seneca the fastest aircraft of the three, reaching up to 205 knots,
as well as a service ceiling of 25 thousand feet. The Cessna 310 is in second place with a top speed
of 191 knots and a service ceiling of 20 thousand feet. The P.68 comes last, with a top speed of up
to 175 knots and a service ceiling of 18 thousand feet, these are undoubtedly the sections in which
it suffers the most with respect to its rivals. In terms of range, the P.68 is the best placed,
being able to exceed 1,150 nautical miles, while the Cessna is at 834
nm and the Piper PA-34 Seneca at 749 nm. However, it is necessary to take into account the
budget for the maintenance of the aircraft. With a theoretical use of 450 hours of flight per year,
the Cessna 310 would require an annual maintenance budget of $293,000, with a flight cost per hour
of 653 dollars. The Piper PA-34 Seneca would need an estimated 283,000 dollars per year
for its maintenance, and the cost per flight hour would be 630 dollars, very similar to the Cessna.
For its part, the P.68 comes out incredibly well positioned in this section, since, for the same
annual flight time, it would require for its maintenance a budget of 152 thousand dollars
and the cost per flight hour would be about 338 dollars, almost half of the other two aircraft.
As far as maintenance costs are concerned, the P68 is the undisputed winner, and if we
make a ratio between the total price of the aircraft and the annual maintenance cost,
it also emerges as the best option. In spite of this, the number of aircraft it
has managed to commercialise has been quite low. According to the latest figures, since the launch
of the Partenavia P.68, less than one thousand aircraft of this family have been marketed,
while in the case of the Piper PA-34, more than 4,500 aircraft have been built, not to mention the
Cessna 310 with its more than 6,300 units sold. This is undoubtedly a clear example of how little
the P.68 was able to influence or compete in the large markets, despite having a better
cost/benefit ratio than its rivals and fairly even specifications. From now on,
it is up to you to decide! PROS
The P.68 has a low operating cost, which has made it popular as a multipurpose aircraft
ideal for practically any type of mission. Having a high wing allows it to offer excellent
vision to the exterior, thus facilitating the development of surveillance and observation tasks.
Depending on the variant, it can have the capacity to launch a rescue raft as
well as perform low profile flights for search and rescue tasks at sea.
Another important advantage of the P.68 is that it is an aircraft capable of short
takeoffs and landings, as well as of operating on irregular runways, such as dirt or grass. Its
corrosion-resistant aluminium construction gives it a high durability rating and makes it easy to
maintain and repair. CONS
At first, Luigi Pascale conceived the P.68 as an aircraft for private use,
but with the passage of time, its most popular use has not been this, instead, today you can
find some Vulcanair P68s in charter companies. The most negative aspect of the P.68 and perhaps
the only one to be considered is in its fuel capacity and speed,
as it is not exactly a fast aircraft, but to be honest, it is not something that I miss too much,
as it has been able to compensate for this by being a stable and docile aircraft
when flying. CONCLUSION
Maybe the other great negative part of the Partenavia P.68 is precisely in its roots,
the fact that it is an aircraft of Italian origin limited its popularity and made its
arrival to other markets much slower than that of other models of rival
companies that were more traditional and known in markets of greater consumption.
It is for this reason that the P.68 can be safely categorised as an unpopular and misunderstood
workhorse, and not precisely because it lacks merit or capabilities, because, as we have seen,
it is a very reliable vehicle capable of facing virtually any task that is put in front of it.
It remains to be seen if under Vulcanair's development, the P68 series will be able
to take market share from its rivals to continue popularising the model,
and who knows, maybe in another 50 years we will still be able to see the P68 series
aircraft taking to the skies of the planet. And in case you were wondering what the "P"
in the name of the aircraft meant, it is the initial of the last name of the aircraft's
designer, Luigi Pascale, which remained as a legacy in time, his legacy for aviation.