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

6^th I.C.P. Aircraft National and International Fly-In

On Sunday, September 12, 2010, the new Castelnuovo Don Bosco airfield - in the Asti Province, Italy - hosted the 6^th I.C.P. Aircraft National and International Fly-In. Good weather conditions favoured the arrival of 80 plus ultra-lights from all over northern Italy, the major part being I.C.P. products.

A crowd of local people and aviation enthusiasts was attracted by the unusual activity at the airfield. Worth of mention the spectacular aerobatics of a Yak-52 piloted by Champion Sergio Dallan and the loopings of a less powerful but very agile Kitfox ultralight. At the end of the show, the long sequence of take-offs by all the aircraft which took part in the fly-in, completed the success of the event organized by I.C.P.

On the previuos Saturday, at the new I.C.P. seat bordering the Castelnuovo Don Bosco runway, a seminar was organized regarding the maintenance technical issues for the I.C.P. aircraft range. Many owner/pilots attended the all-important conference, set up in collaboration with the FIVU (Federazione Italiana Volo Ultraleggero), and the subsequent debate.

I.C.P. was established in 1980 to produce accessories for the automotive sector. In 1988 it entered the aviation field through the dealership of the Dynali Chickinox, a Belgian, three-axis first-generation ultralight aircraft. At the beginning of the ‘Nineties, in collaboration with Agrocopteros of Colombia, I.C.P. began the production of UL aircraft including successive models such as the MXP-740, the MXP-740 Savannah, the MXP-640 Amigo! and the MXP-650 Amigo S.

At the end of the decade, Tancredi Razzano, the I.C.P. head, decided to switch from artisan production to industrialized series-production, simultaneously introducing NC machinery. The considerable investment resulted in reduced costs, better quality and consequent wide commercial success in the UL market.

A heritage model such as the Savannah has evolved into the successive Savannah Turbo, Hydro, ADV, VG (Vortex Generator) and the Savannah XL, introduced in 2009, which features a wider and more comfortable cabin. A further evolution of this successful model was highlighted at the 2010 Castelnuovo Don Bosco fly-in, being the Savannah S, which is basically a Savannah XL with “rounded fuselage edges”, to meet the actual market trend.

At the 2010 ICP Fly-in, the early-production Savannah S ultralights were sporting identification numbers in the new I-A.. range. In fact, in the past months, the Italian ultralights inventory exceeded the I-9999 mark. Of all the ultralights which received the I.N. by “Aero Club d’Italia” (the Italian Aero Club), it is presumable that more than an half are still in flying condition.

Returning to the current I.C.P. products, very popular is also the Bingo!, a light-weight Savannah, offered in variants with different power units. Bingo! and Savannah models are also sold in kit form, with the assembly manual available in five languages. Both Savannah and Bingo! models can be fitted with supplementary provisions such as belly pod, floats and complete system for crop spray with two booms installed along the rear wing struts.

In 2003, I.C.P. started design and development of the original SA2 Vimana, powered by a Rotax 912 ULS engine, as the most performing, less angular evolution of their two-seater UL dynasty. The name Vimana comes from a Sanscrit word for a mythological flying object quoted in ancient Indian religious texts.

I.C.P. keep on to hold in the drawer the project of the magnificent F.28 four-seater, the penultimate aircraft conceived by the late Stelio Frati, one of the best Italian sport aviation designer who died on May 14, 2010, aged 92. Although the company holds the design right of this metal version of the fine-looking F.14 Nibbio, they seems reluctant to proceed into the development phase, thus entering the certified aircraft world.

The main features of the I.C.P aircraft are low-cost, simple construction, reliability and safety, with no particular emphasis for extreme performance. It is an ideal choice for panoramic airfield-hopping during the week-end. Hundreds of I.C.P. two-seaters are flying in Italy and other European countries.

In the picture: ICP Savannah S I-A201 takes off from Castelnuovo Don Bosco airfield during the 6th I.C.P. Aircraft National and International Fly-In, on September 12, 2010. (Aeromedia)

(Aeromedia, September 2010)