Story ID: 
Tecnam P2010 Prepping for U.S. Deliveries
By: Matt Thurber
Caption: The company expects the four-place single to receive FAA approval by this year's fourth quarter.
Word Count: 448
Tecnam director of sales Shannon Yeager flew the first U.S. production four-place P2010 single from the company’s Sebring, Fla. assembly facility to Oshkosh for EAA AirVenture 2015. While the P2010 is certified in Europe, the U.S. validation process is still under way, and Tecnam expects to receive FAA approval by year-end so U.S. deliveries can begin. Tecnam has already delivered 25 P2010s in Europe. The production line is already ramped up, and some slots could easily be diverted to U.S. customers, he said.

The $345,000 P2010 has a composite fuselage and metal wings and is powered by a 180-hp Lycoming IO-360-M1A flex-fuel piston engine (runs on 91 octane mogas and 100LL avgas). Two forward entry doors are for the front seats, and a third door behind the strut provides access to the rear seats. Controls are actuated by push rods and torsion rods. Avionics are a Garmin G1000 integrated flight deck, and the Garmin GFC700 autopilot will be available as an option once it is certified.

During the flight from Sebring, the P2010 averaged 134 knots and 11 gph block to block. Yeager said the P2010 can be loaded with four 200-pound people and their golf clubs and still carry enough fuel to fly for two hours with a 30-minute reserve.

Tecnam, which has been in business since 1948, is also in the midst of the development program for the P2012 Traveler commuter twin, with rollout planned by the end of this year and first flight in early 2016. The 11-passenger fixed-landing-gear twin, powered by two Lycoming TEO-540 piston engines, is targeting small airlines needing a modern airplane, as well as medevac and skydiving operations, for which a large rear door will be provided. Tecnam is designing the Traveler in partnership with Cape Air, which currently operates a fleet of aging and long-out-of-production Cessna 402 piston twins.

“Our next wave is the PJet,” Yeager said. Tecnam has been approached by two military forces (which it isn’t permitted to identify) to design a small two-seat jet that could be used for pilot training and scout missions. The PJet has a podded turbofan engine mounted on top of the fuselage aft of the cockpit. Tecnam didn’t identify which engines are being considered for the design. “It’s a preliminary design,” Yeager explained. “We’re still looking at the required [power] output versus weight and fuel burn.” History buffs will note the PJet resembles the design of the Heinkel He162 “Spatz” or sparrow, which shares the PJet’s twin tail and podded engine, although the PJet’s pod is substantially smaller as a result of advances in turbine engine technology.