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.

FMI: www.embryriddle.edu