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.
