Tecnam P 2004 Bravos of New Zealand (1) - 2005 Aircraft

The high wing Tecnam P 2004 Bravo was designed in 2004 and was built alongside the high wing Tecnam P 92 Echo for some time.  The Bravo had a tapered cantilever wing of a shorter wingspan than the Echo and was more aimed as a touring aircraft as against the Echo's training focus, and it had full surround cabin windows.  However the P 2004 Bravo was not in production for very long.

The specifications for the Bravo are:  length 6.61 metres (21 feet 8 inches), wingspan 8.6 metres (28 feet 3 inches) and the wing area is 120 square feet.  The empty weight is around 336 Kg (741 pounds) while the MAUW can be 544 Kg (1,200 pounds) for a Class 2 microlight or 600 Kg (1,320 pounds) as a LSA.  It is powered by a 100 HP Rotax 912 the cruise speed is around 116 knots while the stall speed is around 35 knots with full flaps.

We have had nine P 2004 Bravos registered in New Zealand, as follows in the order of their registration dates:

Our first P 2004 Bravo to be registered here was ZK-STT (c/n 009) which was registered to Total Entertainment Systems of Devonport (Stu Clumpas, who has owned many aircraft over the years).  It was registered on 3/8/05.  The above photo is from MRC Aviation and shows it on 25/8/05 at Ardmore.

Later it was painted with some swirly stripes and the registration on the fuselage, as in this photo, also at Ardmore, on 3/3/07.  It was cancelled from the New Zealand register on 7/8/12 and exported to Australia where it became 24-8777.

The second P 2004 Bravo to be registered here was ZK-TBT (c/n 010) which was actually registered on the same day as ZK-STT, on 3/8/05, to Giovanni Nustrini of Papakura. It is photo'd above at Ardmore in late 2005.  In March 2006 it was shipped to Australia and displayed at the Narromine Airshow in New South Wales.  It was cancelled from the New Zealand register on 4/4/06 and on 10/4/06 it briefly became VH-BHK4 with Tecnam Australia Pty Ltd of Runaway Bay, Queensland and then on 16/5/06 it became 24-4636.

ZK-TSI (c/n 015) was registered to Minaret Enterprises Ltd of Wanaka on 17/8/05.  On 31/5/07 ownership changed to Colin Alexander of Tauranga with whom it is still current (but not often seen).  It is photo'd above at Wanaka on 13/4/06.

 

And the final Bravo to be registered here in 2005 was ZK-TNM (c/n 016) which was registered on 26/8/05 to Bravo 5 Ltd of Whangarei.  On 18/5/10 ownership changed to Bravo 5 2010 Ltd of Auckland, with whom it is still current (although it is another one I have never seen).  It is photo'd above at Tauranga on 17/2/08.