TECNAM P2010: SKYHAWK CONTENDER The Tecnam P2010 represents what is anticipated to
be a new breed of light general aviation airplanes positioned to take advantage of construction
techniques, technology innovations, and certification standards that weren’t envisioned
in general aviation’s bubble-hyped heyday in the 1960s and ’70s, when the skies were dominated by
all-metal-and-rivet airplanes. If imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery,
then the Skyhawk should be flattered indeed by the likes of the Italian P2010.
It’s not quite accurate to call the P2010 a Skyhawk knockoff
because it’s a substantially different airplane. But it follows the same idea: 180-HP four-banger;
four seats; modest payload, albeit with a slightly faster cruise speed. Despite that Tecnam
geared the P2010 more toward private pilots and cross-country flying, instead of flight schools
and pilot training where the C172 dominates, the P2010 is making a run at Cessnas turf.
WORLD MARKET
Despite the fact that Tecnam isn’t a household name among U.S. pilots, it is in fact a major
world producer of light aircraft. The P2010 will compete in an already crowded market
against the Cessna 172 and Diamond’s DA40, both in gasoline and diesel versions.
It’s generally comparable in price to the Skyhawk—about $400,000, typically equipped—but
is $60,000 cheaper than the Diamond DA40. (Against the Skyhawk, the P2010 would have a
constant-speed prop at that price. But the Skyhawk would have a SiriusXM datalink at the same price.)
Fully equipped, Piper’s comparable Archer LX is also around the $400,000 mark.
DESIGN
While Tecnam isn’t the only company building both composite and metal airplanes,
it may have been doing so for longer than anyone else. The P2010 can be thought of as a hybrid
construction airplane. The fuselage and some trim parts are carbon fiber,
with the fuse being built in two halves, joined, and cooked in an autoclave. The
airplane’s wings and horizontal stabilator are of conventional metal construction. As is usual for
composites coming out of Europe, the fit and finish on the airplane appear to be flawless.
The best thing about this plane is how you get into the backseat and baggage compartment.
The P2010 has a third passenger access door on the right side, behind the co-pilot’s entry door. It’s
large enough to shove big objects into the rear seats or for passengers to slip into the back.
All things being equal, that door might give Tecnam a slight edge in selling against the
172 or the Archer. Diamond’s DA40, of course, has a large rear access hatch.
The rear seats are comfortable with good but not generous legroom once the forward seats
are adjusted. The forward seats slide on tracks and can be elevated with a small lever on the
right side of the seat bottom. They also recline. The doors have jamb latches and a safety latch
on the top, similar to Piper’s products. The baggage compartment is accessed through a hatch
on the right side or from inside the airplane by removing a fabric cover that doubles as a hatrack.
This plane is as automobile as possible. Although it’s spare in the way European cars tend to be,
it’s comfortable and adequately roomy. A center console extending aft even has cup holders,
and there are individual reading lights and vents on the overhead.
The landing gear is spring-steel leaf type, joined to the fuselage in two pieces in a
robust box under the cabin. Like everything else these days, the nosegear is castering
and joins the rest of the structure at the bottom of the engine mount. Although it doesn’t have a
conventional oleo strut, the P2010 does have a shock absorber on the nosegear to soak up bumps
and protect the firewall from hard landings. The wing-mounted fuel tanks are aluminum cells
within the wing bays, with fuel lines running from the tanks through the A-pillars into the engine
compartment. For its class, the P2010 carries a lot of fuel: 62 gallons total, all but one
gallon of it usable. That gives the airplane quite a bit of range and payload flexibility.
The control surfaces are conventional riveted aluminum, albeit plumbed a little differently
than on other aircraft. Cables are used to control a central control box under the cabin floor,
and from there, a combination of cables and tubes are routed to the ailerons,
rudder, and the stabilator. For pitch trim, the airplane has both manual
and electric control of an anti-servo tab on the stabilator. Unusually, it has electric rudder
trim, too, and it turns out that it needs it. AVIONICS
The panel is occupied by a G1000 suite, which is standard with the airplane, with the GFC700
autopilot as a $30,000 option. European models can be equipped with the Garmin G500,
and that option might be available for U.S. aircraft as well. For ADS-B Out compliance,
the P2010 has a GTX 330ES transponder. A GDL88 is an add-on option for ADS-B In.
Electricals are controlled by large, clearly labeled rockers on the lower panel,
and—a nice touch—they are backlighted for night operations. Breakers, again, clearly labeled,
occupy the far-right panel and are easy to get to. The only things we found difficult to access
were the parking brake lock, which is a long reach to a knob near the floor on the center console,
and the alternate air knob by the pilot’s right knee. The throttle is a T-handle on the center
quadrant. ENGINE
The best thing about this plane is the flexible engine choice. You can get this
plane with a 180-hp Lycoming IO-360 and a 215-hp Lycoming IO-390, or the 170-hp Continental CD-170,
which burns jet-A. The Continental engine decreases fuel consumption by up to
50%. An aircraft that burns just 5.2 US gal per hour is no longer just a dream.
The Continental engine model cruises at 140 knots, up to 18,000 ft, over 1000 nautical miles.
The 215 horsepower Lycoming IO-390 engine, on the other hand, allows P2010 to ascend at 1,100 ft/m
and cruise at 146 knots at 75 percent power. On the contrary, the Lycoming IO-360 180-hp variant
is a more cost-effective and conservative alternative.
Overall, the Tecnam P2010 provides a pleasant performance and easy handling for its users.
Matching this unaltered faultless performance with the preferred engine
selection in three different ways owing to its appearance and smart wing design.
From taxi to cruise to landing, the aircraft is simple to handle in every aspect of a
flight. The FADEC controlled desiel model is the sweet spot of the variants, tell me what beats a
single lever control, I’m waiting. PERFORMANCE
At a distance, the P2010 looks smaller than the Skyhawk it purports to compete against.
It’s not entirely an illusion. It’s about a foot shorter than the 172, with a wingspan
that's more than three feet shorter. It also appears to sit lower on its gears, so
the engine compartment—which has a nice clamshell access door with gas springs—is easier to access.
Weightwise, the P2010 is almost a carbon copy of the Skyhawk,
which we suspect is both by intent and governed by the laws of physics and aerodynamics.
The P2010’s gross weight is 2552 pounds, with an empty weight of 1643 pounds.
That yields a useful load of 909 pounds, just a few pounds less than the standard Skyhawk.
With full fuel—372 pounds—the P2010 has 537 pounds left, or three people and some overnight bags.
Down fuel it by 25 gallons and you can just carry the imaginary four people
and have two hours of endurance to near dry tanks at a mid-power setting.
The P2010’s greatest strength is stability, which it has in abundance. It holds a trimmed
airspeed with a will, requiring little pilot input even in a climb. In trimmed cruises,
disturbing the pitch provokes a phugoid that damps almost completely in two cycles,
which means that the airplane will be a standout for instrument training and instrument flight.
Control forces are on the heavy side, with the rudder being the lightest and the roll
the heaviest. Surprisingly, the airplane requires almost as much rudder input as a taildragger does,
and it takes attention to get a coordinated turn. There’s no rudder/aileron interconnect,
and it takes tweaking the rudder trim to keep the ball centered. The initial flap deployment causes
quite a bit of pitch up, but the second notch is less noticeable. This is comparable to a Skyhawk.
So are the stalls; it takes work to get one to break, but they will if provoked.
At 116 knots on a standard day, the P2010 calls for 11.9 GPH
against the Skyhawk’s 9.9 GPH at 119 knots. This is not a trivial difference. Over the course of
an engine's TBO run, it’s 4000 gallons of gas or more than $20,000 in the U.S. To be sure,
the P2010 is faster than the Skyhawk, but the operator will pay for that in more fuel burned.
Approaches are flown power off at about 75 knots, from an 85-knot pattern entry speed.
A no-drama landing seems easy enough, partly because the P2010 is so stable and the controls
heavy enough to preclude over-controlling. It’s one of the most trim-stable airplanes out there,
and students should find it easy—and safe—to land. COMMON PROBLEMS
According to some pilots, if the vortex generators on the vertical stabilizer are not
installed properly, they may cause airworthiness issues. Some customers express dissatisfaction
with the length of time required to complete trim. The 180 hp variant with a fixed pitch
prop is slow to get off the runway and slow in initial climb, particularly when more than two
passengers are aboard. CONCLUSION
Who will buy this airplane? In the U.S., it probably will not be flight schools for the
short term because Cessna is a strong player there primarily because it’s a known quantity
and big schools are biased toward product support and dispatch reliability.
A reasonably equipped P2010 will invoice similarly to the 172, so a buyer looking at both will look
beyond the cost difference. The P2010 carries about what the 172 does, but cruises a little
faster, albeit at the expense of more fuel. We would give it the edge in cockpit equipment and
amenities, and its sleek good looks make the Skyhawk look dated. But it’s the third door
that really sets it apart from the competition. That alone might ring up some sales for Tecnam.
If it’s in my place to change something about the plane, then I will change the prop for
better climb performance. For normal density altitude, it’s adequate, but in the desert or
intermountain west, it could be marginal. Perhaps turbocharging or an upgraded engine could address
that. The P2010 is a superb addition to the popular single-engine light aircraft market.
Both the exterior and interior designs are beautiful, and the inclusion of a FADEC-controlled
engine is the sweet spot of the model. The aircraft flies well and handles excellently.
If you are looking for an alternative to the Cessna 172, then look no further.