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

Aerobatics at the 7th International I.C.P. Fly-In

On Sunday, September 11, 2011, the traditional 7th International I.C.P. Fly-In - Bingo, Savannah and Vimana was held, for the third time, at the Castelnuovo Don Bosco airfield - in the Province of Asti, Italy.
Near the runway, on September 12, 2009, I.C.P. - one of the major Italian ultra-light aircraft manufacturers - inaugurated its new factory. The previous industrial site of the company was in Piovà Massaia, a nearby town.
The total investment, valued at about 7.8 million Euro, covered a total surface of about 140,000 m2 including the airstrip. The 16,000 m2 industrial area stands at the North-East of the runway, with a 5,000 m2 building devoted to administrative/technical offices and manufacturing activities.
Good weather conditions favoured the arrival of 80 plus ultralights from all over northern Italy, the major part being I.C.P. products. A crowd of aviation enthusiasts attended the event, and also local people were attracted by the unusual activity at the airfield. Many of them took also part in guided tours of some manufacturing areas inside the factory, discovering how utralights are built. At noon, in one of the two large hangars, a self-service restaurant was set up, offering exquisite Piedmontese food and vines. The lunch was free of charge for the owners of I.C.P. products.
All through the day, spectacular aerobatic displays were performed, starting with the smoky low turns of an imposing C26 ultralight in the hands of Col. Euro Vinti of Ali Gubbio, and continuing with outstanding exhibitions by Red Bull’s Champion Francesco Fornabaio, with his Extra 300, and the evergreen Champion Sergio Dallan of “Federazione Nazionale di Volo Acrobatico”, who piloted an SF.260D trainer aircraft.
The event programme had also indicated the participation of the “Walter’s Bad” aerobatic team, flying three New Avio C205 ultralights, but unfortunately the Trevi-based team was unable to attend. In any case, the Castenuovo Fly-In is confirming itself as a good opportunity to enjoy a slice of pure aerobatics. At the end of the show, the long sequence of take-offs by all the aircraft which took part in the meeting completed the success of the I.C.P. fly-in.
As a side event, historian Col. Maurizio Lanza presented his latest book titled “In alto sulle loro Colline – Pionieri ed eroi del volo di Asti e Provincia” (High over their Hills – Pioneers and Flight Heroes of the Asti Province). It is dedicated to less-known local pilots and personages who deserve a place in Italian aviation history. For the occasion, other aviation books published by the “Umberto Soletti Editore” were sold at reduced prices, including “Al galoppo nel cielo” (Galloping in the Sky) dedicated to the WW1 ace Giulio Palma di Cesnola, by the same author together with Rosellina Piano, who also wrote the biographic “Gaspare Bolla Cavaliere perdutissimo”.
Car and motor-bike collectors did not miss the opportunity to exhibit some interesting historic vehicles such as an old-fashion Fiat “Balilla” of the 1930’s, a veteran FIAT 500C Belvedere of the 1950’s and a rare Sertum 250 motor-cycle, produced by Sertum Moto, a manufacturer active in Milan from 1932 to 1952.
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. boss, decided to switch from artisan production to industrialized series-production, simultaneously introducing NC machinery. This considerable investment gave 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, as the Savannah S, which is basically a Savannah XL with “rounded fuselage edges”, to meet the current market trend. This latter model immediately found market favour, becoming the current backbone of I.C.P.’s production lines.
At the 2011 I.C.P. Fly-In, the first Savannah S sporting the title of the newly-born Aero Club Castelnuovo Don Bosco was seen. The Club offers pleasure and sightseeing flights but also training courses as a certified VDS School and introductory flights to the type. VDS stands for “Volo da Diporto o Sportivo” (Touring or Sport Flight).
Returning to the current I.C.P. products, the Bingo! is also very popular. This is a light-weight Savannah, offered with a variety of 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, least angular evolution of their previous two-seater UL models. The name Vimana comes from a Sanscrit word for a mythological flying object quoted in ancient Indian religious texts.
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 elsewhere in Europe.

In the picture: ICP Savannah S (# 100) I-A201 of Aero Club Castelnuovo Don Bosco takes off during the 7th International I.C.P. Fly-In - Bingo, Savannah and Vimana”, on September 11, 2011. (Aeromedia)

(Aeromedia, September 2011)