OUR 2026 P-MENTORS ARE COMING!
The Flight School business and the manufacturing necessary to constantly support industry needs and improve advancements to safety has very rapidly changed. Production has slowed significantly, lead times are long and the cost of aircraft and OEM parts have increased a minimum of 30% in just the last four years. Tecnam, and other industry leaders like Continental Aerospace, are making the difference and filling the gaps/shortages that are eagerly welcomed by the General Aviation community.
The P-Mentor will be a welcomed addition to BPFS’ fleet. The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is the proven plow horse but getting them are very difficult unless you’re willing to pay exorbitant prices and premiums for purchase slots. At BPFS, we chose to look beyond Cessna and we’re going all-in with Tecnam and invested in two NEW Tecnam P-Mentors, manufactured in Italy and marketed as an IFR trainer. This capable trainer boasts an industry new Rotax 912 iS, fuel-injected, 100hp motor, very tested for reliability and very capable of supplying the necessary power for the P-Mentor. The aircraft is light, spacious and full of cutting edge technology and have received many accolades. In 2023 by Fleigermagazin: “the aircraft is best in it’s category”. In 2024 by Flying Magazine: “a benchmark for innovation and modernity in the American aviation market” and the Editor’s Choice Award: “modern trainer, particularly its suitability for IFR training. With its new Garmin G3X Touch Display, Synthetic Vision, Garmin GTN 650Xi and GFC500 Auto-Pilot, the Mentor is ready to lose the horizon. BPFS has also chosen other features like a landing gear lever that is linked to onboard GPWS system and will alert the pilot when the landing gear is not down (simulated) and a yaw damper to ensure greater comfort and precision while training in and IFR environment.
Both P-Mentor aircraft will be shipped directly to Honolulu from it birthplace in Capua, Italy and will arrive in the first quarter of 2026!
CONTINENTAL IO-370 PRIME
December, 2024
NEW to General Aviation is the Continental IO-370 Prime. Developed to substitute the long-time proven Lycoming IO-360 L2A. For the first time ever, Cessna 172 owners and Flight Schools now have an additional option to power their aircraft and business’. Acquiring a powerplant in today’s aviation environment, for lack of a better description, is ridiculous. Flight training demands have increased so significantly due to the pilot shortage that supply is at an all-time low and while costs have increased significantly, wait times are now a minimum of six months to a full year, or longer! These economics cause Flight Schools to run engines well past manufacturer TBO’s (time before overhaul), rather than replace engines when they should be replaced.
Thank you Continental for investing in a solution that allows Flight Schools to keep the doors open!
Continental Aerospace Technologies PRIME