By Richard Gross  

Italian manufacturer Vulcanair recently launched its P68 Vr twin (P68R), complete with retractable undercarriage. Royal Victoria Aero Club (RVAC) CFI Richard Gross put the aircraft through its paces and came away impressed.

As I approached VH-VRI my first impression was: “it’s a Partenavia”. The engine nacelles were identical and the fuselage still had that distinctive Partenavia look. However, on closer inspection I realised the aircraft was different. It was more streamlined. It had sponsons and gear doors protruding from the lower part of the fuselage. And finally, the wheel fairings common to the Partenavia’s I’d flown were missing. Indeed, in the blink of an eye the newbie had developed its own distinctive personality. On the outside anyway.

One of the most common criticisms of the earlier model P68 series was front seat access. Thankfully this anomaly has been rectified and the cockpit door on the right-hand side has improved considerably, allowing easy access. And unlike some twins, accessibility to the spacious rear luggage compartment makes loading baggage and other belongings pretty simple.

The leather interior, optional club seating arrangement and the large cabin door provide extra comfort for passengers and considerable space when configured for freight. The club seating means passengers don’t have to scramble past the second row of seats to get to the last row, while the high wing configuration enables easy access.

Vulcanair have stuck with the aluminium frame, an economical benefit allowing ease of maintenance and repair for engineers familiar with the Partenavia.

To house the retractable nose gear, the Vr’s front end is slightly different from its variants, yet it’s still able to hold the avionics and control columns with their associated chains and sprockets. It also houses the hydraulic pump for the undercarriage and the emergency (blow down) extension bottle: all within reach from the large access panels on top of the nose.

Although the Vr boasts retractable undercarriage and additional components, this has not impaired its useful load - an impressive 2063kg MTOW.

Additional safety systems have also been put in place. The cockpit door is interlocked and as a security feature remains shut when the right-hand engine is in operation. However, in emergencies a red flagged handle is used to simultaneously open the door and shut down the engine. The undercarriage emergency extension is accessed through the blowdown (pneumatic) bottle in the nose of the aircraft, assuring the ability to retract the gear during a complete electrical failure; while a sight glass on top of the nose access panel allows inspection of pneumatic pressure during pre-flight.

Vulcanair has also taken the initiative and implemented an interlock that prevents flap extension with the rear door open, thus preventing damage to the trailing edge of the flap, a common gripe for those familiar with the Partenavia.

The Vr carries a staggering optional 670 litres total useable fuel at a consumption rate of around 80 litres per hour at an average TAS of 155 knots (170 knots at altitude), giving a range of 1,350 NM at normal cruise.

Unlike its predecessors, there’s no wing spar life and the Vr comes standard with a 5kg BCF fire extinguisher, first aid kit, and heated stall warning.

The high wing configuration not only provides better visibility for both pilot and passengers, the increase in ground clearance means the propellers are less susceptible to the type of stone damage common to airports worldwide.

On entering the cockpit, the first thing I noticed was the distinct lack of gauges, knobs and anything else you would generally expect from a twin engine cockpit.

The Vr is equipped with optional Sagem 8 inch or Garmin 950 primary flight display and multifunction display screens, two Garmin GNS 430 Comms/Nav/GPS, two axis S-TEC 55X autopilot with altitude alert, a Garmin GMA 340 audio panel and Garmin GTX 330 transponder and backup ASI, ALT and AI instruments. One item I did find silly was the 28V accessory power socket in the cockpit, considering the majority of equipment that most people would run on this particular plug would be 12V.

The systems are identical to the old Partenavia, the overhead panel of the Vr with its engine start, fuel pump and cross feed switches are identical in every respect. This means that a separate endorsement is not required if you’re already qualified to fly aircraft with retractable undercarriage.

Starting the two Lycoming IO-360-A1B6- 200HP engines is simple but knowing where to cross check information was a challenge. The multi-function display is littered with information and knowing precisely where to look can be fraught with difficulty. But other than checking the oil/fuel pressure and the voltage after start, there’s nothing else to check as there is no vacuum system since the entire aircraft is electrical.

Melbourne turned on a nice, warm day for my flight test but thankfully the Vr’s fresh air circulation system provided some much-needed cool air for improved passenger comfort.

For the glass cockpit novice, conducting run-ups and searching for the information needed to assess engine parameters amongst the clutter of data displayed on the MFD can be challenging. But checking flight instruments prior to departure is relatively simple since they’re all within the primary flight display (if you know where to look).

Whichever screens are employed in an aircraft today, whether it be Sagem, Garmin or even Avidyne, it all comes down to preference and/or familiarity. It’s probably advisable for flying Schools in the market for new aircraft to maintain standardisation by selecting the type of screen that may already be fitted to other aircraft within their fleet. 

The pre take-off safety brief was conducted en route to runway 17R and the only real difference was the increase in the single engine climb performance (Vyse) from 88KIAS (Partenavia) to 92KIAS (Vr).

Despite being unfamiliar with the Sagem screens, takeoff was very much the same as any other twin and sourcing the necessary information for take-off was fun. I found myself using my years of experience to gather whether the aircraft was behaving in the manner in which it was intended before lifting off at the estimated speed and then setting an attitude. As every instructor will tell you, ”if you set the power correctly, set up the precise attitude, the aircraft will give you the performance it’s designed to achieve”.

Don’t get me wrong, the primary flight displays are magnificent sources of data. However, if you’re used to analogue instruments it takes time to familiarise yourself with PFDs and to know precisely where to gather the information displayed.

My twin engine experience had me automatically selecting wheels to the up position, applying brakes to stop wheel rotation as the gear retracted, looking for the retraction indication such as U/C unlock indications, high electrical load and then waiting for the retracted indications. This despite the fact I was very familiar with flying the Partenavia with fixed undercarriage.

Just like the Partenavia, fifteen degrees of flap is required for takeoff. So there’s still that pitch change at two hundred feet clear of obstacles when the flaps are retracted. The flaps however can be selected manually (as previous models) and then cross-checked using the flap indicator, or by pre-determined electrical switches for 0°, 15° or 30°. Any other intermediate flap settings can be set by again using the manual flap lever.

I found myself using a combination of the two although the pre-selection does make it easy to determine the precise flap setting, thereby eliminating the need to search for the flap indicator when conditions demand outside situational awareness. Full flap from your decision point on final approach is again selected by manual means.

The Vr’s handling characteristics were precisely the same as the Partenavia. Conducting a steep turn at 60 degrees AoB with a slight five degrees nose-up attitude had the Vr maintaining height quite nicely. Stalls were very mild and really a non-event. Although we were only operating between 2,000 and 3,000 feet, the most remarkable difference was in the True Air Speed (TAS) - although some might prefer to use Indicated Air Speed (IAS) - and a definite increase in the single engine performance due to the reduction in parasite drag thanks, of course, to the retractable undercarriage.

As we conducted asymmetric (single engine) operations with the critical engine (left) in the feather condition, we were still climbing through three thousand feet, with a positive rate of climb, quite impressive since you won’t get that from most other light twins.

The Vr is also fitted with TCAS (Traffic Avoidance Collision System) which constantly alerts the pilot to other aircraft within proximity. This is designed to enhance traffic separation. However, as we conducted many manoeuvres around the Moorabbin training area, the TCAS constantly reminded us of traffic in the vicinity, which proved to be quite a distraction as we spent more time looking for traffic alerts than we did flying the aircraft.

Upon returning to Moorabbin, the flaps were retracted first at 157KIAS to allow a reduction of speed to 135KIAS for undercarriage extension, a normal setting for most high performance twins. This procedure takes some forethought for pilots with limited hours and type experience on multi-engine aircraft.

We decided to conduct a touch and go at which time the right-hand engine (non-critical) was pulled on me. I immediately conducted the appropriate drills. As we were height critical we immediately went to zero thrust after identifying the failed engine. On take-off following an engine failure in a multi-engine aircraft you turn toward the live engine when at slow speed and at high power (your instructor will show you why if you have never been shown this procedure). However, since we were on runway right and not under actual emergency, and we were in VMC conditions, we elected to conduct a right-hand circuit ensuring we had sufficient speed and manoeuvrability. Also, since the flaps had been retracted prior to the simulated engine failure they remained in the retracted position. If the flaps are extended at the time of an engine failure on take-off in the Partenavia, It’s best to leave them extended to maintain lift.

The Vulcanair maintained a steady climb at 92KIAS with ease to 1000ft AGL. We elected to continue the approach at zero thrust and return for a full stop landing.
There was a touch of crosswind, and applying the sufficient rudder followed by aileron the Vulcanair was a breeze to land. Shutting down the engines in the same manner as on previous twins I found myself checking services and systems but again I realised there was no vacuum system to check. As the services provided on each engine are identical there’s no reason why you can’t shut down both engines simultaneously.

All in all, the Vulcanair Vr presents itself as a very good all-rounder. As a six-seat, piston engine light twin it’s a capable commuter, charter or training aircraft. It has a good useful load, is economical to run, with increased TAS and range. With a Vmca and stall speed of 62KIAS it presents itself as a safe aircraft for pilots, even those with limited experience.