November 01, 2010
Prolific light aircraft builder, Tecnam, has just launched its first twin in Australia. At first glance, it’s an unusual project for this country, but behind the sales hype, lies a clever strategy.
There aren’t too many new light twins launched these days. It seems to be one area of general aviation which hasn’t received much attention in the past few years. Part of the reason, undoubtedly, is the fact that the existing twins are so good, so reliable, so economical, and so safe, they tend to last forever in the right hands.
Who needs to spend nearly a million dollars on a new twin when a good second-hand one will do just as good a job for half the money? It’s into this very comfortable working space and for just about half the money, Tecnam has launched its first ever entry in the two engined category- a fully certified GA aeroplane with full IFR capability.
The P2006T is not your normal freight lugger, or mine company taxi. Pilots who fly twins for a living will undoubtedly look at it and ask themselves, what were they thinking? It sort of looks like the old Partenavia, which came out in the 70s. Both designs are by the same Italian bloke, so that’s no surprise. But Tecnam has developed this aircraft with a few very specific things in mind.
The cost of training on a twin has continued to climb over the years. These days, an up and coming pilot needs to fork out up to $450 an hour to a flying school to get alongside an instructor behind two engines. On the way, to a CPL or ATPL, the young pilot will spend equivalent of a reasonable house deposit. It’s a daunting prospect, and one which is proving too daunting for all but the most dedicated ( i.e the wealthiest) students.
Secondly, both the future cost and the availability of Avgas is becoming a serious talking point.
The way things are in America, even the most optimistic forecasters admit it cannot be long before Avgas starts to become harder to get. The first indication will be when the price starts to rise sharply.
The knock-on effect of that will be a steep increase in the hourly rate of any aircraft which needs Avgas to fuel an engine or two.
Thirdly, if Avgas does start to dry up, you can be sure the vast open spaces of Australia will be the first to see it disappear. So a twin which can haul a reasonable weight over long distances using just petrol should have a future in this country. Those are the sweet spots the makers of the P2006T are aiming for. As with nearly all aircraft designs, the company has based the success or failure of it’s new model on the engines which power it.
The P2006T is driven by two Rotax 912S, those fantastic little engines from Austria which turn the propellers of most of the light sport aircraft around the world. It has a growing reputation for its reliability, as well as its cheap running costs and its ease of maintenance. It’s the only engine approved for both Avgas and automotive fuel and when it’s going full blast, a 100HP Rotax, burns about 18L an hour of whichever fuel you stick in it.
Tecnam says the Rotaxes allow the P2006T some advantages over the competition – a reduced frontal area and better power-to-weight ratio, a lower fuel consumption, lower propeller rpm, resulting in higher efficiency, and lower acoustic profile and stable cylinder head temperatures due to liquid cooling. But notice who the competition is. In all its documentation and sales literature about the P2006T, and even with its price, Tecnam has pitched this aircraft, not against the much higher powered twins, but at 180 to 200 hp singles.
Tecnam argues that two 100hp engines gives a better performance then one 200hp engine and provides other advantages a single cannot.
It’s quite a clever strategy. Flying schools, which are obviously a big target for this model, can get a light twin which costs about the same to buy as a big single, is future proofed re the fuel, has much lower running costs and they get a modern twin trainer for students who can be tortured at a much lower hourly rate. A charter company, which took the same plunge, would get the same advantages, along with a reasonably useful load and twin redundancy for those long hauls over the wilderness or the water.
As I said, a clever strategy.
On the ground the P2006T feels like a small aeroplane. It’s not very tall, and there’s a trick you need to learn to get your legs into the seat before the rest of your body. But once you are inside, there’s a heap of room for four people and their luggage.
The seat can be adjusted to make you comfortable even if you are either the defensive guard of the Australian men’s basketball team or a winning jockey. The demonstrator had a fully glass panel, perfect for students transitioning to bigger aircraft, but this is an option you’ll have to pay EUR45,000 for if you want it in yours.
The start-up procedure is, as you’d expect with Rotax engines, simple and fast. The aircraft does not make a lot of noise. One cute feature. When the propellers start, the doors lock automatically and cannot be unlocked until the propellers stop moving. The doors are right next to the propellers and they sensibly don’t want people getting out and getting a Jack Newton makeover.
Even with four people and almost full tanks, the aircraft accelerated briskly down the runway and was off the ground in 700-800ft. We climbed at 1000ft/min although the book says 1260ft/min is possible. The book also lists the aircraft’s single engine climb rate at 80kt of 230ft/min.
According to Giovanni Nustrini, Tecnam’s boss in Australia, 150ft/min of that single-engine climb rate can be attributed to the rather swashbuckling upturned winglets which gives this aircraft it’s distinctive appearance. In the air, it feels solid, the control movements like those of a larger aeroplane. It turns crisply and the handling was predictable, even in the choppy weather I flew through on the day I took it for a test run.
That solid and predictable handling will make it popular with students.
Tecnam says the wing-mounted engines relieve the aerodynamic load on the wing which allows them a consequently lighter structure. Also that the low propeller rotating speed, low engine drag and the streamlined fuselage, gives the aircraft efficient aerodynamics. The company says the P2006T has the highest ceiling and climb speed among its competitors (those big singles, remember, not the twins).
Synchronising the props was almost effortless. There was none of the usual fiddling to make the two donks sing with one voice.
Conditions were not ideal for me to test its single-engine performance, but others who have done so say the aircraft is very easy to trim out and manage on one engine and it does not require full rudder at best rate of climb, as is the case in other small twins.
One small issue however, if you are forced to shut down one of the props while flying. A midair restart needs the glass panel shut down so enough juice can be diverted to the starter. It means you should not stop practising your IFR skills on the old instruments. The approach speed is 70kt, which will be comfortable for most training pilots. We touched down at 55kts and the trailing link retractable undercarriage was very forgiving of my misdemeanours. It’s quite a robust undercarriage which should make it popular for people who need to operate at rough airstrips. The same goes for the high wings. All in all, a comfortable aeroplane to fly and one is sure to find a home here. Two are in this part of the world already. This demonstrator and one which has gone to a buyer in New Zealand.
A VFR standard P2006T with analog equipment will set you back EUR295,000 (EUR 279,000 for the fixed gear version). With the strength of the little Aussie dollar at the moment, that’s going to be very hard to resist for the owners of flying schools and high net worth individuals thinking about their next big single purchase. It’s a nicely designed aeroplane, targeted at an emerging and growing niche.
As I said, a clever strategy.
