The Italian Aerospace Information Web
by Aeromedia - corso Giambone 46/18 - 10135 Torino (Italy)

Golden Car F.30 Brio Showcased at Turin/Aeritalia Airport

On May 22, 2011, at Turin/Aeritalia airport, Golden Car organized a successful air event to promote their F.30 Brio (liveliness/vivacity in English), the last aircraft model designed by the late Stelio Frati, one of the best Italian sport aviation designers.

Some years ago, Golden Car – an automotive company based in Caramagna Piemonte (Cuneo, Italy) – started a diversification process entering the aviation sector. The first move was to acquire the production rights of the two-seat F.30 Brio, Frati’s proposal for the ultralight market.

Pre-prototype Brio “costruction number 00” flew for the first time on March 21, 2008, in the hands of Silvio Lando. Soon after, it made its debute in static display at the 2009 edition of AERO Friedrichshafen. In the same year, two more Brio aircraft were manufactured: “01” was a development item, while “02” was representative of the series production aircraft.

In 2010, the manufacture of item “03”, with fixed landing gear (F.30 F.G.), started at the Caramagna workshop. It was destined to comply with the requirements of the German ultralight certification (announced in July, 2011). In the meantime, “01” was upgraded to comply with the Italian certification for the new Advanced VDS aircraft (VDS = “Volo da Diporto o Sportivo” = Touring or Sport Flight) category.

At Turin/Aeritalia, Golden Car set up a display area showing the main aluminium-made structural parts and titanium alloy engine mount of the Brio. On the tarmac, two Brios were in static display for public inspection: the ultralight “02” I-9958 and fixed gear “03” I-A299. A third item – the Advanced VDS I-9868 – with Riccardo Di Bari at the controls, made a number of demonstration flights with potential customers in the right seat.

Technical and performance data sheets released by the manufacturer for the F.30 Brio rectractable landing gear model and for the F.30 F.G. fixed landing gear model.

In the picture: Golden Car F.30 Brio I-9868 (c/n 01), “advanced VDS” version, lands at Turin/Aeritalia aiport, Italy, on October 1, 2011. (Aeromedia)

(Aeromedia, October 2011)