First Tecnam P2012
Last month Tecnam announced that the Austrian-German engineering and surveying company AirborneHydroMapping GmbH (AHM GmbH) had extended its survey fleet with the new Special Mission Platform aircraft for aerial mapping, based on the 11-seat P2012 Traveller.
With the success of the P2006T in Special Mission Platform (about 100 platforms sold and flying worldwide), Tecnam designed the P2012 structure with Special Mission in mind from the start. For example the various control cables were moved to the sides of the aircraft, in order to keep the central fuselage section free and allow room for two 735 X 567mm (28.9×22.3in) hatches, capable of accommodating the majority of sensors, cameras, lidar and mission equipment available worldwide. Twin-engine configuration guarantees the hatches and cabin to be always free from exhaust, so the risk of carbon monoxide will never be an issue with the P2012 SMP.
As with the P2006T SMP, the P2012 is available in several configurations and options, allowing the customer (or the mission system integration service company) to best tune the investment. The standard configuration features, two hatches with on-ground removable covers, multiple sockets for 28VDC mission power (up to 3.360W available) and a seat retrofit kit to allow restoration of the passenger configuration. The aircraft offers a wide range of options available to customise the SMP, such as 115 / 230VAC plugs, 14VDC connectors, mission screen for pilot, operator console, electrically operated sliding doors for hatches, antennae pre-installation and approval. Tecnam also offers a wide range of services, from dedicated fitting plates to turnkey solutions, ensuring that the customer will always be confident about its aerial platform choice: the P2012 SMP.
The Tecnam P2012 features a sleek, modern design with state-of-the-art equipment, fixed landing gear, robust interiors and easy-to-replace parts. Like all Tecnam aircraft, the Traveller offers high efficiency and low maintenance costs with its simple and easily accessed airframe and systems. The aircraft is powered by two Lycoming six-cylinder TEO-540-C1A turbo charged engines. It is the first piston-powered aircraft with electronic management of engine power, which, coupled with the Garmin autopilot, enables a reduced workload for pilots and a great extension of the engine life.
Walter De Costa, Tecnam Global Sales and Marketing Director said: “Tecnam is very proud to be associated with such an environmentally-friendly company. We feel honoured that our aircraft are contributing to this highly essential and important work.”
Frank Steinbacher, AHM Airborne Mapping Director said: “We are excited to soon have the P2012 Traveller in our fleet. This will increase our range of operations and raise the level of quality of service to offer to our customers. Since our first P2006T, Tecnam have always had the right answer to our needs.”
AHM, AirborneHydroMapping
Amongst its many services, the environmentally conscious firm routinely carries out aerial surveying and mapping, taking measurements and collecting data over land and water through simultaneous acquisition of high-resolution 3D images, topo-bathymetric laser scans, spectral and thermal imagery. The company already owns a twin-engine Tecnam P2006T SMP that has proven to be a great success. With the new P2012 Traveller SMP, operational flexibility and the customer’s most important demand of seasonal independent mobilisation for survey missions all over Europe, Eastern Europe and Northern Africa, will be fulfilled.