EASA Certifies New Four-Place P2010

By Bruce Brandon

EASA has certified Tecnam's new four seat P2010, and the company expects FAA certification to occur in the next few months.

For those not familiar, Tecnam is an Italian company that started building airplanes shortly after World War II. They are the largest GA manufacturer in the world outside the United States. It is one of the few companies that has the enviable situation of having a backlog in aircraft orders. Tecnam has service centers in Virginia, California and Minnesota. It recently announced that it was opening an assembly plant at its headquarters in Sebring, Florida.

The P2010 (called “P twenty-ten”) is an all new design with a composite fuselage and medal wings. It has a Lycoming IO-360-M1 180 horsepower engine that can burn either 100LL or auto fuel. The fuselage has four seats and the payload actually allows you to use them. It has a generous cabin that is wider than a Cessna 182’s, can carry 992 pounds of fuel and people and cruise at 133 kts. The max range is 715 nm. Its short field capability is impressive with a takeoff roll of 656 ft. and a landing distance from over a 50 ft. obstacle only requiring 1027 ft.

Another of the P2010 attributes is, because it is a new airplane and must be certified under current 14 CFR § 23, it has many safety improvements such as 26g seats, modern passenger restraint systems, more stringent structural load testing and others.

This airplane will give its competitors a run for its money. Tecnam has made a statement. With the assembly plant in Sebring, producing the only new high wing Part 23 airplane in the world in over a decade, its strong product line, and aggressive culture it will be a strong competitor in the U.S. market for the long term.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.tecnam.com