Hi, John, I was in the Kagnew Flying Club and remember you. I was Lt. at Tr. C from 1968 to 70. I just got in contact with Scott Johnson, also Lt., who helped to start the flying club. Hope you are well. I heard about the Marchetti that went down near Massawa with two fatalities. Do you have any details on that crash? Thanks. Regards, Bob
Robert m jenkins, e-mail, 20.06.2017 04:51
Jim and Ron,I was in Asmara from 68 to 70 and we got two Piper TriPacers from Wheelus field in Libya. I seem to recall that we ordered a Marchetti in about 1969 and heard it went down near Massawa in about 71.Rumors at that time that aircraft was shot down by ELF/EPLF.i think of Asmara often. Was at Tract C. Regards, Bob
wynand, e-mail, 23.01.2014 05:16
Exellent plane its got the cockpit space , speed and fly easy Some company should build them again , and they would not be sorry I just battle with my mixture settings Its verry sensitive , but aparently its a common thing with the Franklin engine
Dr. John C. Calhoun, e-mail, 05.11.2012 15:08
Had the pleasure of flying a 205 and the 208 in Ethiopia (1968-70) under the tutelage of a Cdr Silvano Galli the "test pilot" for SM at that time. Took the 205 out to the islands and the 208 (ET-ADK) to Nairobi, Mombasa, Dar es Salam, and the Ngorongoro crater once upon a time. It was an experience I'd wish for any pilot to have. Both a/c performed as you'd expect any fine Italian crafted machine to do. With the tip tanks (208) it had the long legs necessary for the Addis-Nairobi leg of the trip. The 208's sister ship (ET-ADI) was lost in an accident after I left in June of 1970. Kagnew station was "home" for some of us. We also had a Cessna 140 available for training for those starting out. Went to Nairobi and brought back a Piper Tripacer for training also ... with the help of John Thornton, our only CFI instructor. Stonehouse ........ lives on ......... NoSuchAgency!!!!
Jim, e-mail, 31.08.2010 16:50
We owned a S205/22w which had the 220hp Franklin. It was a great airplane with some significant drawbacks. We lice in Texas and parts are very expensive since the plane was manufactured in Italy. There are repetitive AD's involving the landing gear that require dye testing of metal parts after 25 hours. Other than that it is a very nice plane to fly. Power to weight ratio makes it a load hauler and it has long legs due to the fuel load.
Ron, e-mail, 29.12.2009 02:55
The S205/22R was never a trainer. It was the retractable version of the 205 with a franklin engine. We also had a 205R which was the same airplane with a Lycoming. The left door was a factory option. These are very nice airplanes. The Kagnew Station Flying Club in Asmara has a 205 fixed gear and we also had access to a 208 a five place version that also could have an optional left door. Very fast and worked well out of the 8600 MSL airport.
vince, e-mail, 08.12.2008 08:11
what is the skinny on the actual s205 /22r? I found one with 2 doors and a fifth seat. Is this airplane all that it says in the limited info I could find? And because it was designed with 2 seats (Military trainer) does it hold or is it designed to hold together better than the common s205. Also, what is the actual performance of the franklin motor and the service ceiling and so on of this airplane. Thanks Vince
