De Bernardi M.d.B. 02 Aeroscooter explained

The de Bernardi M.d.B. 02 Aeroscooter is a two-seat light sport aircraft designed by Mario De Bernardi as a follow-on to the single-seat Partenavia P.53 Aeroscooter.

Development

Having developed the all-metal single-seat Partenavia Aeroscooter earlier, Mario de Bernardi sought to improve the design as the two-seat M.d.B. 02 Aeroscooter, which was developed as an aircraft to be built by CAP in Bergamo, Italy.[1]

Design

The Aeroscooter is a low-wing, two-seat monoplane. The partial welded steel tube fuselage uses aluminum skins. The wing uses a wood spar. The tricycle landing gear uses trailing link suspension. The single-piece plexiglas canopy slides forward to open. All fuel is housed in the 20abbr=onNaNabbr=on header tank and 50abbr=onNaNabbr=on main tank behind the passenger's seat.

Operational history

The prototype was built by De Bernardi with the assistance of two mechanics. In April 1959, De Bernardi died of a heart attack after flying a demonstration of the prototype at Rome Urbe Airport.[1]

An example is on display at Museo Aeronautico Caproni di Taledo, Milano.[2]

Variants

The daughter of De Bernardi is offering plans for a modernized version of the Aeroscooter using a Rotax 912UL engine to be flown under Italian microlight category.[3]

Notes and References

  1. Sport Aviation. June 1960.
  2. Web site: De Bernardi MDB 02 Aeroscooter. 14 September 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20120327135857/http://luftfahrtmuseum.com/htmi/ite/mdbas.htm. 27 March 2012. dead.
  3. Web site: Aeroscooter MdB 02. 14 September 2011.