Tecnam has been working steadily toward the FAA certification of a new version of its P2010 single-engine cruiser using the 170 hp Continental diesel engine. The company on Wednesday announced that approval had been secured.
Original type certification under EASA was granted in October 2020.
The Continental CD-170 joins a 180 hp Lycoming O-360 option that uses either auto gas or avgas, and a 215 hp option that uses avgas.
The turbodiesel/jet-A1 powerplant offers a cruise-fuel burn that ranges from 4.5 gph (17 litres/hr) at 55 percent power, to 7 gph (27 litres/hr) at 75 percent power.
“This provides consistent performance up to 8,000 ft and allows operations up to 18,000 ft,” according to a company statement.
“The addition of the Continental diesel engine is more proof that Tecnam is dedicated to the general aviation marketplace by providing safe, efficient, innovative aircraft for today’s pilots.” said Tecnam’s director of sales, David Copeland.
“The FAA certification of the P2010 TDI marks a significant milestone for the Tecnam U.S. market, [and] the availability of jet-A1 [at] every airport makes our four-seater the ideal machine for cross-country mission[s] and efficient flight training,” Tecnam’s managing director Giovanni Pascale added.
Up front, the P2010 TDI offers the same flight deck options as its model brethren, including:
- A Garmin G1000 NXi integrated flight deck
- A GFC 700 autopilot with electronic stability protection (ESP)
- Full fadec controls for the powerplant
- Electronic engine monitoring
- Optional GTS-800 traffic awareness system
The CD-170 comes from a series of Continental diesel engines ranging from 100 to 170 hp, with 7,500 engines delivered and more than 8.5 million hours in service. The first version of the P2010, with the 180 hp Lycoming O-360, gained FAA certification in December 2015.
