Partenavia Construzioni Aeronautiche was an Italian aircraft manufacturer from 1957 to 1998.
The company was formed by Luigi Pascale of Naples University. Pascale had designed and flown a number of designs. In 1957, a factory was acquired at Arzano. Partenavia became a limited company in 1959.
The first major aircraft to be produced was the P.57 Fachiro, a four-seat high wing aircraft for flying club use. A later all-metal version, the Oscar, replaced the Fachiro on the production lines.
In 1981, the company became part of the Aeritalia group and concentrated on the production of over 100 of P.66C Charlie for the Aero Club d'Italia. The most recognised design was the twin-engined P.68, first flown in 1970.
In 1993, the company was sold to Aercosmos and, in March 1998, was declared bankrupt. Vulcanair bought all the assets, design rights and trademarks.
Partenavia P.68
The Partenavia P.68, now Vulcanair P68, is an Italian six-seat, twin-engined, high-wing monoplane built by Partenavia and later Vulcanair. Designed by Luigi Pascale and originally put into production in 1972, it was intended for private or business use but has also seen use as both a training and a transport aircraft. It was originally named the Victor, although this name was not used for the production aircraft. The P.68 Observer, which was an Italian/German development, has a transparent nose for use in police work and observation duties.
Partenavia P.68C-TC, registration OO-PXL, built 1981, serial number 245-08-TC Nijmegen, Netherlands, 23 December 2016
