page_title: Partenavia P.68
section_title: Development
hierarchical_section_title: Partenavia P.68 / Development
caption_attribution_description: Partenavia P.68 at Aero2016,Messe Friedrichshafen, Germany, 20/04/16.
context_page_description: The Partenavia P.68, now Vulcanair P68, is a light aircraft designed by Luigi Pascale and initially built by Italian Partenavia.
  It made its first flight on 25 May 1970, its type certification was granted on 17 November 1971 and was transferred to Vulcanair in 1998.
  The original six-seat high-wing monoplane is powered by twin piston engines and is used for light transport and training. The P.68 Observer is an observation aircraft variant, and it was developed in a stretched, 10/11-seat twin turboprop derivative.
context_section_description: The type certification for the P.68 "Victor", a twin piston engine, high wing monoplane with fixed tricycle landing gear was applied for on 22 January 1969.
  The Partenavia P.68 was designed as a six-seat light transport and trainer powered by two 200 hp (149 kW) Lycoming IO-360 engines, it made its first flight on 25 May 1970 at Naples.
  The type certification for the 9.20 m (30.18 ft) long P.68 was granted by the Italian Civil Aviation Authority on 17 November 1971 for an 1860kg (4100 lb) MTOW.
  It was approved by the FAA on 7 December 1971.
  After a 300 h of flight tests, production was to start in May 1972 in a new plant at Naples Capodichino Airport at a rate of three aircraft per month.
  The prototype was built at Arzano, Italy, production began with 14 pre-production aircraft at new facilities in Casoria, Italy.
  The longer, 9.35 m (30.68 ft) P.68B "Victor" certification was applied for on 18 October 1973 and granted on 24 May 1974 for a 1960 kg (4321 lb) MTOW.
  Its fuselage was lengthened to create more space in the cockpit.
  Both derived from the P.68B and 9.55 m (31.33 ft) long, the P.68R "Victor" has a retractable landing gear and was certified on 31 July 1978 while the P.68C has a nose allowing a weather radar, larger fuel tanks and increased weights, and was certified on 23 July 1979 with a 1990 kg (4387 lb) MTOW.
  The P.68C-TC, certified on 29 April 1980, has turbocharged, 210 hp (157 kW) Lycoming TIO-360-C1A6D engines.
  The 9.43 m (30.94 ft) long P. 68 "Observer", derived from the P.68B with a transparent fuselage nose, adapted systems and larger fuel tanks, was certified on 12 June 1980.
  The observation aircraft for law enforcement were initially conversions of existing aircraft by German Sportavia-Putzer.
  The 9.90 m (32.48 ft) long, fixed gear AP68TP-300 "Spartacus" was certified on 10 December 1983 with two 328 hp (245 kW) Allison 250-B17C turboprops and a 2600 kg (5732 lb) MTOW.
  the nine-seater development was helped by Aeritalia, the prototype first flew in 1978 with a retractable undercarriage.
  The 9.15 m (30.02 ft) long P.68TC "Observer", a P.68 "Observer" with turbocharged engines, was certified on 18 June 1985.
  The 10.89-11.27 m (35.73-36.97 ft) long, retractable gearAP68TP-600 "Viator", with two 328 hp (245 kW) Allison 250-B17C turboprops, has a 2850-3000 kg (6283-6614 lb) MTOW and was certified on 16 October 1986.
  The 9.54 m (31.30 ft) long P.68 "Observer 2" is a P.68 "Observer", with increased weights, upturned wing tips and modified systems, and was certified on 30 November 1989 for a 2084 kg (4594 lb) MTOW.
  Based in Casoria, Naples, and already manufacturing Partenavia spares, Vulcanair (then Air Samanta) acquired the type certificate, aircraft spares and the former production plant in Milan for L1.4 billion ($780,000) in April 1998.
  The type certificate was transferred on 25 November.
  Vulcanair offers the P.68R, P68C, P.68C-TC, P.68TC Observer, P.68 Observer 2 and AP68TP-600 Viator.
caption: A P.68 Observer presented by Vulcanair at the AERO Friedrichshafen 2016
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