Italian aircraft maker Tecnam, which is perhaps best known for its LSA models but which is now branching out in new directions, has issued a progress report on one of those new models, the four-place P-2010, which, taking a page out of Cessna’s Citation X/Ten playbook, it has nicknamed the Twenty-Ten. The to-be-certified model is carbon fiber with metal wings and boasts modest projected speed and range figures, including a 75-percent power cruise speed of around 130 knots and a no-wind range of 660 nm, all with a 180 -hp Lycoming IO-360 powerplant. The airplane’s useful load, however, according to Tecnam’s preliminary figures, will be impressive, at nearly 1,000 pounds, meaning it could carry four 160-pound adults with full fuel. Price of the airplane is approximately U.S. $275,000.
Flight test engineers at Tecnam recently performed the first engine run for the 2010. The company anticipates first flight before the end of this month.
Check out a video of the airplane — it’s a great looking design — during the engine run, below. The prop, for the record, is not made of rubber. The apparent distortion, which is extreme in this video, is a just an artifact of the digital camera used.
