AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 71

It's small, leading some to call all Light Sport aircraft "toys," but if you're out playing
in the sky, toys are what you need.
turned left I stopped, held the toe brakes,
and explained to Tecnam's Solomon, "I was
trying to turn right." He deftly commanded
the aircraft to the right, but said he felt the
nosewheel needed an adjustment that was
later made prior to delivery.
Takeoff, as with most Light Sport aircraft, requires a slight back pressure on the
stick to lessen the load on the nosewheel
and a light touch overall. These small aircraft are more responsive than even their
four-seat kin. Rotation is at 48 knots indicated airspeed, while the best rate of climb
is between 70 and 80 knots. Catching up
to the lead aircraft, a Cessna 210 that
had slowed for the Tecnam, I radioed to
the pilot that he could power up because
I was at half throttle. There was no concern about operating the turbocharger
since there was nothing to do. A computer
takes care of the turbocharger (a red light
will come on if you exceed five minutes at
maximum power), leaving only a single
lever for power; there's also no fuel mixture control; and, of course, no propeller
control, since the propeller is not allowed
to be adjusted in flight on Light Sport aircraft. Propeller adjustments are made on
the ground. The electric flap control has
just three positions: 0 degrees, takeoff (15
degrees), and landing (40 degrees). The
single power lever and simple flap control, along with stick-mounted electric trim
buttons and a push-to-talk switch, kept the
workload light.
In flight the engine kept its smooth
reputation, with the carbon-fiber fuselage
helping to dampen sound. The aircraft
flew as if the autopilot was on, although it
was of course not used in formation. Rose
mentioned that the P2008 TC stuck to its
position while he recorded video for this
article from the lead aircraft, but I was
making no control inputs at the time, just
sitting there. Although the wing is mounted
above the cabin, visibility is excellent.
Light Sport aircraft can get testy during
landing. Limited to 1,320 pounds (more for
seaplanes), they lack the mass to keep floating if power is reduced to idle just above
the runway. Instead of having several seconds to raise the nose for a soft touchdown,
the pilot finds he has no time at all-and a

SPEC SHEET

Tecnam P2008 TC
BASE PRICE: $171,400
PRICE AS TESTED: $219,000
SPECIFICATIONS

Powerplant | 115 hp turbocharged
Rotax 914 UL
Recommended TBO
2,000 hr
Propeller | 68 in, 3 blade Sensenich
Length | 22 ft 8 in
Height | 8 ft 1 in
Wingspan | 29 ft 6 in
Wing area | 131 sq ft
Wing loading | 10.1 lb/sq ft
Power loading | 11.5 lb/hp
Seats | 2
Cabin length | 3 ft 11 in
Cabin width | 3 ft 7 in
Cabin height, seat to headliner | 2 ft 11 in
Empty weight | 783 lb
Empty weight, as tested | 884 lb
Max gross weight | 1,320 lb
Useful load | 537 lb
Useful load, as tested | 436 lb
Payload w/full fuel | 373 lb
Payload w/full fuel, as tested | 272 lb
Max takeoff weight | 1,320 lb
Fuel capacity, std | 27.5 gal
(27.4 gal usable)
165 lb (164 lb usable)
Baggage capacity | 44 lb
PERFORMANCE

Takeoff distance, ground roll | 607 ft
Takeoff distance over 50-ft obstacle |
1,007 ft
Max demonstrated crosswind component
| 15 kt
Rate of climb, sea level | 1,100 fpm

firm landing is the result. I was prepared
to leave a little power on to touchdown if
necessary to avoid that, but needn't have
bothered. The approach was made at 65
knots indicated airspeed. Even with power
at idle just above the runway there was no
sudden increase in sink rate. It made me
look good.
Obviously this aircraft is nicer than it
needs to be, and therefore more expensive,
but not if it is to compete in the luxury end
of the market. It's small, leading some to
call all Light Sport aircraft "toys," but if
you're out playing in the sky, toys are what
you need.
AOPA
EMAIL alton.marsh@aopa.org

Max level speed, sea level | 120 kt
Cruise speed/endurance w/45-min rsv, std
fuel (fuel consumption) 4,000 ft
@ 72% power, best economy
109 kt/3.7 hr (31 pph/5.1 gph)
@ 52% power, best economy
93 kt/7.7 hr (17 pph/2.8 gph)
Service ceiling | 16,000 ft
Landing distance over 50-ft obstacle | 1,200 ft
Landing distance, ground roll | 515 ft
LIMITING AND RECOMMENDED AIRSPEEDS

VX (best angle of climb) | 65 KIAS
VY (best rate of climb) | 78 KIAS
VA (design maneuvering) | 98 KIAS
VFE (max flap extended) | 68 KIAS
VNO (max structural cruising) | 106 KIAS
VNE (never exceed) | 134 KIAS
VR (rotation) | 48 KIAS
VS1 (stall, clean) | 45 KIAS
VSO (stall, in landing configuration) | 39 KIAS
For more information, contact Tecnam North
America, 11152 Air Park, Ashland, Virginia
23005, telephone 804-798-6500, http://tecnam.net, e-mail info@tecnam.net.
All specifications are based on manufacturer's
calculations. All performance figures are based
on standard day, standard atmosphere, sea level,
gross weight conditions unless otherwise noted.
EXTRA

Speed is a key selling point for this luxury light
sport.

A THREE-BLADE ground-adjustable

propeller (opposite page, top left)
comes standard with the
turbocharged engine. The LED
landing light is positioned below
the engine to avoid flooding the
cockpit with light, as do some
wing-mounted landing lights. The
tail (below left) has platforms for
a beacon and rear navigation light,
not needed when Aviolights are
used on the wing tips that include
rear-facing elements.
www.aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | 71
http://tecnam.net http://tecnam.net http://www.aopa.org/pilot
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014
