Sport Pilot Talk

tadel001 · Joined: 12 Mar 2007 Posts: 126

Tecnam is coming out with a new airplane! It will debut at Sebring. We got to see it on our trip to the Tecnam factory in Italy. This plane is very nice. It is similar to the current Echo and Bravo. In fact, it is still part of the P92 family which is a very tried and true model.

The EagleT is a high wing side-by-side airplane. It has a higher wing root than the Echo giving even better visibility to an already good visibility aircraft. It also has toe brakes, nice looking leather seats, and a new panel. The panel is really nice. The best thing abou it...the plane has the same outstanding useful load, great speed, amazing stability, and long history. The plane looks similar to a smaller Cessna 182. You can order IFR or VFR.

I took a lot of pictures (482) while over there. I will post an article on the factory tour. I will also try to get authorization to post the pictures of the EagleT.

SkySteve · Posted: Mon Nov 26, 2007 9:23 pm Post subject:

It looks like this will be a GREAT plane. I have looked at their website and would love to see your pics. I often fly the P2002 Sierra and love it.

slsaowner · Joined: 28 Oct 2006 Posts: 55

Yeah, that's great Tim, but before introducing new models, Tecnam should be doing a better job of supporting the fleet they already have in the U.S. Their aircraft may be great planes to fly, but they're a pain to own. Let's hope the new model is a little better suited to the domestic environment. We don't need another plane featuring made-in-Italy wheels, brakes, nose wheel tires, batteries, etc.!

tadel001 · Joined: 12 Mar 2007 Posts: 126

Interesting. We have two Tecnams in a flight school and haven't had a problem like that. Actually, Tecnam is creating a US based parts warehouse. I think was most people in the US don't realize is that Tecnam is a huge aviation company. They have been building planes since 1948. Their airplanes have a better history than any other S-LSA on the market. They just didn't focus on the US. Now they are. You are seeing aircraft designed for the US market and parts/supplies being stored in the US Market.

The EagleT is basically the P92 but just modified to be more appealing to the US, i.e. toe brakes, new interior, etc.

vwvectors · Joined: 12 Aug 2006 Posts: 78 Location: Florida

I think Tecnam will be one of the companies that survive the great LSA shakeout coming up . Their aircraft appear to be very well constructed & they have the fiancial resources to support a growing fleet .

slsaowner · Joined: 28 Oct 2006 Posts: 55

It would be nice if Tecnam published adequate performance charts in the Flight Manual. Every time I take off with a passenger I'm essentially a test pilot because the performance charts only go up to 1100 lbs. I've been complaining about this for a couple of years now, but nothing seems to happen. Speaking of manuals, it would be nice if they had some mechanism for distributing manual updates. Right now it seems to be a matter of an owner getting a copy of the latest manual and distributing to his friends via e-mail. As for the parts warehouse, they've been promising that for a couple years now. Last time I needed a fusible link to get my electrical system going again I had to get if from another owner who had just bought a 100 (the minimum order!)
The little motorcycle batteries they use only last a couple of years (mine is now two years old), and the Tecnam-specified brand isn't available in the U.S. I know I could use a Yuasa (which is widely available from any motorcycle dealer), but so far I haven't been able to get approval from Tecnam to use a substitute from the "standard" battery. One owner I know just went ahead and used a substitute without bothering to get approval. I don't know if that's "legal" or not.

Super Cub · Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Posts: 25 Location: PA

I replaced the wet acid battery in my 130 HP SeaDoo jet ski with a gel

battery that seems to be real strong. You may want to look into using that

type in your Tecnam.

tadel001 · Joined: 12 Mar 2007 Posts: 126

slsaowner - what plane do you own and where do you live. Are you working through a dealer? Our experience has been much better than yours. In fact, they have one of the more accurate manuals I have seen on the LSA market.

Check out the video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4y1ccpGNkM