Tecnam shows Rivale personal aircraft concept at Oshkosh

Tecnam unveiled a mock-up of a new personal aircraft concept at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2026, held at Wittman Regional Airport in Wisconsin. The Italian manufacturer has confirmed the concept is named Rivale, a reference to its stated view that its only real competitor is itself.

On the opening evening of the show, rain passed through the airport but visitors still came to the company's booth. Tecnam had spent months preparing for the debut. Managing director Giovanni Pascale walked the display with Cayla McLeod, editor-in-chief of Plane + Pilot, and described the concept as what the company sees as the future of personal flying.

The full aircraft is not expected to fly until a planned debut at AERO Friedrichshafen in Germany in April 2027. The Oshkosh display was a preview built to represent the design language of Tecnam's next phase.

Pascale said the mock-up was designed to show close attention to detail, and that the company is pursuing a different way of approaching the market rather than just new lines and styling for aircraft of this size. "Our benchmark is completely different from what you can actually see on the market," he said, adding that Tecnam intends to become the benchmark in personal flying.

The installation included real hardware even in mock-up form. A custom-made MT-Propeller for the Rivale was shown, according to Pascale. The aircraft is powered by a custom-built version of the CD-300, a 300 hp twin-turbocharged V-6 diesel from Continental that runs on jet-A.

Avionics on the display were kept out of view, but Tecnam said the aircraft is to be paired with Garmin's new G2000 Prime suite. The G2000 Prime is Garmin's first flight deck to offer dual...

No further details about the aircraft's performance, certification timeline, or production plans were provided.