PlIDI" PRa!CIS Partenavia enters the turbine arena. - Aero ...

PlIDI" PRa!CISPartenaviaenters the turbine arena.BYTHOMAS A. HORNETHE has Partenavia grown. line To the of P-68C light twin-engine Victor (May airplanes 1981 Pilot,p. 92), the turbocharged P-68C-TC Victor (May 1983Pilot, p. 74) and the plexiglass-nosed P-68 Observer (September1983 Pilot, p. 38), add the AP-68TP-300 Spartacus.The Spartacus is Partenavia's entry in the turboprop market.It is equipped with two Allison engines, flat-rated to328 shaft horsepower.Although its power does not match that of some heavierturboprops, and the Spartacus is unpressurized, the airplanehas some attractive virtues.Among them is its simplicity-a feature it shares withthe rest of the Partenavia twins. The landing gear is fixed,and the high wing design contributes to the cabin's boxyroominess. As an offspring of the P-68, the Spartacus retainsthe same interior dimensions that have made itsPHOTOGRAPHYBY ART DAVIS

68· FEBRUARY 1985If SPARfACUS

predecessors popular as cargo-haulers and photogrammetriccamera platforms.The Spartacus has three doors: one for the pilots, onethat admits passengers to the main cabin and a rear doorthat gives access to the rearmost seats and baggage compartment.This is an improvement over previous Spartacusmodels, which came with a single door, located at midcabinon the left side.Another change is the Spartacus's horizontal stabilizerand elevator. The other Partenavia twins use a stabilator.High-speed flutter tests of stabilator-equipped Spartacusesresulted in the crashes of two prototypes. In each case,flutter-caused by destructive harmonics set up by theinteraction of engine and airframe vibrations-resulted instabilator failure. The traditional stabilizer-and-elevator arrangementwas found to be stronger.The Spartacus was certificated in Italy in May 1984.American certification soon followed, and the airplanemade one of its first big showings in this country at theAOPA Industry Exhibit in Nashville, Tennessee, last October.Shortly thereafter, American distributor Mira Slovakvisited AOPA headquarters at the Frederick (Maryland)Municipal Airport and gave members of Pilot's staff a brieflook at the new airplane.Slovak explained that the Spartacus is designed for individualsand companies wanting the reliability and redundancyof a turboprop twin without the million-dollar-plusprice tag. The Spartacus's base price is $608,500, FAF Naples,Italy. Delivery charges to the United States are anadditional $9,000: the bare bones price-$617,500.I-SPRS, Slovak's demonstrator, was loaded with optionsincluding radar, radar altimeter, full ice-protection equipment,a brace of King avionics worth $31,000 and a plush"VIP" interior. Its price is $757,979.Flying the Spartacus is a delight. Takeoff acceleration isimpressive, and, with partial flap extension and a partialload, the airplane will lift off within a few seconds of brakerelease. The controls have a crispness that is similar to asingle rather than a turbine twin. It was relatively easy tomaintain a tight formation with our photography airplane-aCessna 172RG-even though the Spartacus wasin slow flight.Part of our demonstration flight included short-fieldtakeoffs and landings. The airplane flight manual indicatesthat the Spartacus will land and stop within 843 feet, usingreverse thrust. But Slovak was able to prove that the airplanecould land in a far shorter distance."You can land it in about 500 feet, but it's pretty hardon the airplane," said SlovakThe combination of the Spartacus's STOL-like features,its turbine power, the fixed gear, high-wing design andloading configurations should prove attractive to those flyinglarge or heavy loads to unimproved airstrips at highdensity altitudes.The airplane still is undergoing refinement and development.Accelerate/stop distance information is "to be issuedlater," according to the flight manual. The electrical system,which normally operates with its starter-generators inparallel, soon may be changed to the American standardbothgenerators powering the system in series. An avionicsAOPA PILOT • 69

continued\master switch also is 9ue to be standard on the Spartacus.Spartacus's certification for flight into known icing conditionsis scneduled for early this year. The last series oftests, conducted in West Germany, were drawing to a closein December 1984.Partenavia plans to introduce two more light twins in1985, both based on the Spartacus-the Spartacus RG andthe Pulsar. The RG's retractable gear will add approximately$45,000 to the Spartacus's base price and will alterthe airplane's shape-Mitsubishi MU-2-style fuselage podswill be used to house the main landing gear. The SpartacusRG first flew on June 1, 1984.The Pulsar will be a pressurized, retractable-gear modelwith a new wing design and wing-tip fuel tanks. A finaldecision concerning the Pulsar's engines has not yet beenmade. They either will be the 440-shp version of the Allison250 engines used in the Spartacus, or Lycoming enginesof comparable power.So far, Partenavias have enjoyed a limited success in thiscountry. Sales of P-68Cs, P-68C-TCs and Observers haveamounted to 29, 14 and two airplanes, respectively. Nowthat Partenavia (and its subsidizers, the Italian governmentand Aeritalia) has upped the ante and stepped into themore lucrative turbine market, it will be interesting to seewhether it can secure a more prominent beachhead onAmerican shores. 0IfSPARrACUS170· FEBRUARY 1985

PowerplantsPartenavia• Spartacus,AP-68TP-300I-SPRSBase price: $608,500Price as tested: $757,979AOPA Pilot Operations/Equipment Category':All-weather: $649,000 to $760,000SpecificationsTwo Detroit Diesel Allison250-B I 7C turboprop, 328 shpTBO, hot section 3,300 hrLengthHeightWingspanWing areaWing loadingPower loadingSeatsCabin length (including baggagecompartment)Cabin widthCabin heightEmpty weight (basic airplane)Empty weight (I-SPRS)Max zero fuel weightMax ramp weightPropeller Hartzell HC-B3TF-7 A/T 10173F-2IR, 80-in dia, three-blade, fullfeathering,reversible pitch32 ft 6 in12 ft39 ft 4 inMax takeoffweightUseful load (basic airplane)Useful load (I-SPRS)Payload w /full fuel (basic airplane)Payload w /full fuel (I-SPRS)Max landingFuel capacityOil capacityweight(ea engine)Oil tank capacity (ea engine)BaggagecapacityPerformanceTakeoff distance, ground roll 760 ftTakeoff distance over 50-ft obst 1,267 ftMax demonstrated crosswind component 15 ktRate of climb 2,057 fpmSingle-engine rate of climb (sea level) 520 fpmMax cruise speed (12,000 ft) 209 KTAS200.2 I sq ft Cruise speed/range w /45-min rsv28.6 Ib/sq ft (fuel consumption ea engine)8.73 Ib/hp @ Max cruise power8-9 20,000 ft205 KTAS/930 nm15 ft3 ft 7 in3 ft 11 in3,2411b3,458 Ib5,300 Ib5,7871b(276 pph/4 I gph)@ Recommended cruise power20,000 ft 199 KTAS/980 nm@ Max range power20,000 ftMax operatingaltitude5,7321b2,546 Ib2,329 Ib1,0451b828 Ib5,445 Ib224 gal (222 gal usable)6 qt9 qt220 Ib (17 cu ft)(254 pph/38 gph)170 KTAS/I,090 nm(205 pph/3 I gph)25,000 Itl.anding distance over 50-ft obst 1,405 ItLanding distance, ground roll 843 ItLimiting and Recommended AirspeedsVmc (Min control w/criticalengine inoperative)79 KIASVsse (Min intentional one-engineinoperative)90 KIASVx (Best angle 01 climb)90 KIASVy (Best rate 01 climb)Vxse (Best single-engineVyse (Best single-engineVa (Design maneuvering)Vie (Max flap extended)15 degrees35 degreesVmo (Maximumlimit speed)operatingrate 01 climb)rate 01 climb)110 KIAS90 KIAS105 KIAS150 KIAS161 KIAS119 KIAS200 KIASMmo (Max operating Mach number) 0.40 MachVr (Rotation)85 KIASVs 1 (Stall clean) 75 KIASVso (Stall in landing configuration) 65 KIASAll specificatiollsare based all mallufacturerscalculatiolls. All performallce figures arebased 011stalldard day, stalldard atmosphere, at sealevel alld gross weight, ulliess otherwise lIoted.'Operatiolls/EquipmCllt Categories are defilledill JUlie 1984 fiJ£!, p. 108. The pricesreflect the costs for equipmellt recommelldedto operate ill the listed categories.