New P2008 Owner and short flight review!

Talk about airplanes! At last count, there are 39 (and growing) FAA certificated S-LSA (special light sport aircraft). These are factory-built ready to fly airplanes. If you can't afford a factory-built LSA, consider buying an E-LSA kit (experimental LSA - up to 99% complete).

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jetcat3
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New P2008 Owner and short flight review!

Post by jetcat3 »

Hey y'all,

Let me first say how much I love airplanes! This last weekend was pretty special and the main reason was because I got to experience it with my Dad. My Dad and I have loved airplanes ever since we can remember and we got heavily into Remote Control airplanes and I think that has fueled us into the direction we are in now. Flying Remote Control airplanes is almost as good as being in a P2008 turbo. :D

With that said, we had a great weekend in Mankato, MN and Lincoln, NE. I flew up to Mankato to ferry the P2008 with Mark Gregor. The flight lasted about an hour and forty-five minutes. That drive from Mankato to Lincoln is five hours and twenty eight minutes according to Google. Pretty impressive right there! What was more impressive to me was pulling the power back to 5100 RPM and settling in on 113-114 KNOTS indicated at 2,000 ft. I noticed on Rotax's website for engine performance that the most torque is developed at 4900 RPM. We had a crosswind component the entire trip but a little bit of a tailwind component as well anywhere from 7-11 KNOTS. We were averaging 124-128 KNOTS ground speed the entire trip burning 5.5 GPH of 91 Premium Unleaded gasoline. According to my calculations we burned about 9.9 gallons total in that trip totaling about $23.61. 91 Premium unleaded was going for $2.39 a gallon in Mankato. $23.61!!! Amazing! Now, unless you're driving in a Prius you're not going to beat that economy. Never mind that the Prius would take you an extra 3 hours and 45 minutes!

We took off from Mankato Regional airport and then set the autopilot after about 10 minutes. Garmin's autopilot is pretty darn amazing. Those are some high power brushless servos! We became very familiar with servos in Remote Control airplanes and the way these can take bumps and gusts of wind is remarkable. With the autopilot set and our altitude set at 2,000 ft because of the low ceilings we were on our way to Lincoln. The obstacle and terrain warnings that came through the headset were piercing. They were never obnoxious and never got in the way of communicating with Mark or ATC.

One thing my Dad and I are starting to notice, is that this airplane handles turbulence and wind gusts differently we feel. The P2008 just hits these gusts and updrafts as if they are small speed bumps. It happens so fast that it doesn't really bother you. Ultimately what we feel is an important factor with this airplane is that it doesn't make us sick. Every time we've flown this bird it has been in less than ideal conditions. My first couple of minutes up with Mark on our way to Lincoln were quite bumpy and I was getting really nervous that I was going to get really sick on that trip. All of a sudden we landed in Lincoln and I forgot about it all! I couldn't believe I didn't feel sick at all after not flying for 3 weeks. Unless I was flying every week, I would get sick in the Skycatcher.

Another aspect of the airplane is just how comfortable it is. Not only does the airplane absorb all of these bumps with ease, but it does so in comfort and style. The longest I've been in the Skycatcher was about 3 hours and after I got out my butt hurt pretty bad. This airplane's seats and legroom make it feel as if you're in a car with more than enough legroom and shoulder room. Because of all these aspects, I noticed that I wasn't tired at all after making that flight to Lincoln. In the Skycatcher, even a 2 hour cross country makes me very tired. Now granted that airplane didn't have autopilot, but I think the engine noise, absorption of turbulence and bumps, autopilot, seat and cabin comfort all contribute here. It really is the ultimate little cross country airplane in my opinion if you only need two seats!

All in all, a wonderfully enjoyable trip in the new P2008. A BIG thanks to Mark Gregor for all of his help along the way. He is great guy and I'm grateful for all that he did to help us get to this point. I'm really excited for my Dad and I think we'll be enjoying this airplane for a long time to come! It's such a pleasure to fly and the speed of this bird is quite staggering. It's definitely a clean airframe.

I love technology and I also love reading technological device reviews online. I know this extremely hard to quantify and is really more personal preference than anything, but I'll say it anyways. Maybe it makes me feel better about the choice my Dad made to purchase this airplane. :P I think the P2008 turbo is the best overall light sport aircraft out there! Of course it has its weaknesses just like any airplane, but overall it is quite amazing indeed. It's gorgeous, fast, easy to fly, has rocket like power, and is extremely comfortable in the cabin. What else do you want out of a small two seater?

Drew
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Re: New P2008 Owner and short flight review!

Post by Wm.Ince »

Congratulations Drew! 8)
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VL Roberts
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Re: New P2008 Owner and short flight review!

Post by VL Roberts »

Glad you like the airplane. Your comment about turbulence is somewhat surprising since the P2008 is listed as having a wing loading of 10.1 lbs/sq ft as opposed to the Skycatcher of 11 lbs/sq ft.
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FastEddieB
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Re: New P2008 Owner and short flight review!

Post by FastEddieB »

VL Roberts wrote:Glad you like the airplane. Your comment about turbulence is somewhat surprising since the P2008 is listed as having a wing loading of 10.1 lbs/sq ft as opposed to the Skycatcher of 11 lbs/sq ft.
Subjectively, I find low wings handle turbulence a bit differently that high wings, in a way I slightly prefer.

Low wing feels like sitting on top of the wing, which somehow feels more solid than hanging under it in a high wing. Pendulum effect or something?

Or it might just be my imagination!
Fast Eddie B.
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Re: New P2008 Owner and short flight review!

Post by Flocker »

Congrats!!! I've seen the pics, but I'm sure others on here would like to drool over them too.
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VL Roberts
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Re: New P2008 Owner and short flight review!

Post by VL Roberts »

FastEddieB wrote:
VL Roberts wrote:Glad you like the airplane. Your comment about turbulence is somewhat surprising since the P2008 is listed as having a wing loading of 10.1 lbs/sq ft as opposed to the Skycatcher of 11 lbs/sq ft.
Subjectively, I find low wings handle turbulence a bit differently that high wings, in a way I slightly prefer.

Low wing feels like sitting on top of the wing, which somehow feels more solid than hanging under it in a high wing. Pendulum effect or something?

Or it might just be my imagination!
There may be something to what you say but the P2008 is a high wing. I own a Skycatcher and I don't mind fair comparisons . To say that the P2008 has less cabin noise, more comfortable seats and a nicer interior , I would agree with all that. The Skycatcher interior looks like it was designed for a MAD MAX movie. The P2008 is also a high wing with a lighter wing loading than the Skycatcher but better at handling turbulence than the Skycatcher?
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Re: New P2008 Owner and short flight review!

Post by Flocker »

VL Roberts wrote:Glad you like the airplane. Your comment about turbulence is somewhat surprising since the P2008 is listed as having a wing loading of 10.1 lbs/sq ft as opposed to the Skycatcher of 11 lbs/sq ft.
The POH I have for the P2008 shows wing loading at 12 lb/ft. (Page 16)
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jetcat3
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Re: New P2008 Owner and short flight review!

Post by jetcat3 »

Thanks y'all! At this moment we still technically own a Skycatcher that is just about sold, so that is really the only thing we can compare to. As it pertains to wing loading, I'll have to do some more digging around and research. Our POH that we have for the airplane have the wing loading listed at 12.2 lbs/sq ft but the total wing area is either 130.9 or 131.9 sq ft I can't remember which one exactly. Even so, the wing loading will calculate at around 10 lbs, sq ft at 1320 lbs gross weight. What I think the underlying difference is in comparison to the Skycatcher, is the wing design. They are very different upon close examination and I really don't know a thing about aerodynamics but I can say this much. There's tremendously more dihedral on the Skycatcher, the wings are also a lot thicker, and they don't taper at the root or the ends like the P2008. The P2008 uses a laminar flow wing and the airfoil is NACA 63A. If anybody can do some research out there maybe we can find something conclusive? You can tell the Skywatcher's airfoil just isn't designed to go fast at all though. The Skycatcher is all about high lift and low stall speeds making it a great trainer. It's impressive that the Skycatcher can stall at 37 KNOTS full flaps and have more wing loading than a 150. Don't get me wrong, I will ALWAYS love the Skycatcher! As it pertains to low wings, I'll bet there's something to that as well!

Drew
jetcat3
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Re: New P2008 Owner and short flight review!

Post by jetcat3 »

Do y'all know how to downsize photos to be allowable to post on here? Thanks!

Drew
VL Roberts
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Re: New P2008 Owner and short flight review!

Post by VL Roberts »

jetcat3 wrote:Thanks y'all! At this moment we still technically own a Skycatcher that is just about sold, so that is really the only thing we can compare to. As it pertains to wing loading, I'll have to do some more digging around and research. Our POH that we have for the airplane have the wing loading listed at 12.2 lbs/sq ft but the total wing area is either 130.9 or 131.9 sq ft I can't remember which one exactly. Even so, the wing loading will calculate at around 10 lbs, sq ft at 1320 lbs gross weight. What I think the underlying difference is in comparison to the Skycatcher, is the wing design. They are very different upon close examination and I really don't know a thing about aerodynamics but I can say this much. There's tremendously more dihedral on the Skycatcher, the wings are also a lot thicker, and they don't taper at the root or the ends like the P2008. The P2008 uses a laminar flow wing and the airfoil is NACA 63A. If anybody can do some research out there maybe we can find something conclusive? You can tell the Skywatcher's airfoil just isn't designed to go fast at all though. The Skycatcher is all about high lift and low stall speeds making it a great trainer. It's impressive that the Skycatcher can stall at 37 KNOTS full flaps and have more wing loading than a 150. Don't get me wrong, I will ALWAYS love the Skycatcher! As it pertains to low wings, I'll bet there's something to that as well!

Hey, I'm sure the P2008 is a great airplane and I hope you get a lot of enjoyment from it. I may be wrong about the wing loading. One thing I have discovered though is that some of the European LSA POH's are sometimes not the equal of American POH's.

Drew
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Re: New P2008 Owner and short flight review!

Post by Cluemeister »

Congratulations!

I'm guessing your Dad is even more excited. Knowing that he can continue to share the joy of aviation with his son no doubt provides him with tremendous pride.
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Re: New P2008 Owner and short flight review!

Post by FastEddieB »

VL Roberts wrote:
There may be something to what you say but the P2008 is a high wing.
Oops!

My mistake.
Fast Eddie B.
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Re: New P2008 Owner and short flight review!

Post by Flocker »

jetcat3 wrote:Do y'all know how to downsize photos to be allowable to post on here? Thanks!

Drew
Do you own any photo editing software? If not, do you have Microsoft Office?
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Re: New P2008 Owner and short flight review!

Post by MackAttack »

Congratulations to you and your Dad, Drew! I had the chance to fly that airplane the day before Mark delivered it to them as I was in Minnesota for personal reasons and wanted to demo the 914 turbo engine; Mark was kind enough to demo both the Astore and Drew's P2008 for me - and I have to second the comment on the conditions; 37 degrees, 1300' ceilings and occasional showers the day I flew it and was just able to go around the pattern. But I will say that the turbo is a BEAST of an engine; it really jumped off the runway and it was clear that the climb rate would nothing short of amazing - if I had been able to climb past 800' AGL!!

I also had the chance to fly the 912iS versions of a P2008 and the Astore a few days later (that being yesterday) under MUCH better VFR conditions. A few bumpies underneath a scattered cumulus layer at 7000 and both airframes handled the bumps/ups/downs very well. I didn't really notice much of a difference between the low wing and high wing in those conditions; I enjoyed flying them quite a bit. Very docile in slow flight and on the landing. And I can second the comment about the cabin comfort. I spent about 3 hours flying both of them and had no aches/pains, etc. Mark did a great job showcasing the aircraft and the company and I really enjoyed the whole experience.

I haven't flown a Skycatcher (although I did get my PPL in a 152 way back when...) so can't comment there. One interesting thing - I thought that the Astore was quieter in the cabin than the P2008 by a few dBs - not a lot, but noticeable to me. Both are quieter than many GA aircraft, so it's all relative ... Could just be the individual planes/engines; I don't know why a bubble canopy would be quieter than one with a roof/wing over it...

In any case, great airplanes and a great experience. If you are thinking about a Tecnam, I highly recommend talking to either Mark in MN or Shannon in FL. Very knowledgeable, honest and helpful sales people. I've got one more plane to demo in a few weeks then will be pulling the trigger myself ... Will let folks know where I come out!

Cheers
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Re: New P2008 Owner and short flight review!

Post by FastEddieB »

jetcat3 wrote:Do y'all know how to downsize photos to be allowable to post on here? Thanks!

Drew
If you upload it to a free Flickr account, you then have multiple sizes to choose from.
Fast Eddie B.
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