The Tecnam P2008 is a single-engine, high-wing two-seat aircraft built by

Tecnam Costruzioni Aeronautiche TECNAM S.p.A., commonly known as Tecnam, is an Italian aircraft manufacturer. As of 2025, Tecnam has delivered over 7,500 aircraft worldwide and employs more than 500 people across its facilities in Capua and the Naples ...

in Italy but aimed at the US market. It is the first Tecnam aircraft to incorporate major

composite Composite or compositing may refer to: Materials * Composite material, a material that is made from several different substances ** Metal matrix composite, composed of metal and other parts ** Cermet, a composite of ceramic and metallic material ...

components. It was introduced at the

AERO Friedrichshafen AERO Friedrichshafen is a trade show dedicated to European general aviation. It is held yearly in April on the shores of Lake Constance at the exhibition center of Friedrichshafen, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Ger ...

2009 show, with first deliveries in December 2009.Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: ''World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12'', page 80. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: ''World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16'', page 82. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015.

Design and development

The P2008 is a conventionally laid out strut braced high-wing

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple wings. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...

aimed specifically at the US market. Resembling the earlier

Tecnam P92 The Tecnam P92 Echo and Tecnam P92 Eaglet are Italian high-winged, light aircraft, designed by Luigi Pascale and built by Tecnam of Naples. Design and development The P92 design dates to 1960, but versions comply with the Fédération Aéronau ...

and P2004 in general appearance, the P2008 differs by introducing a

carbon fibre Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers ( Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon comp ...

fuselage The fuselage (; from the French language, French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds Aircrew, crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an Aircraft engine, engine as wel ...

and integrated

fin A fin is a thin component or appendage attached to a larger body or structure. Fins typically function as foils that produce lift or thrust, or provide the ability to steer or stabilize motion while traveling in water, air, or other fluids. F ...

. The wings and tailplane are all-metal. It can be adapted to LSA,

ultralight Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight-shift control and conventional three-axis control aircraft with aile ...

or ELA1 categories. The wing

leading edge The leading edge is the part of the wing that first contacts the air;Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 305. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. alternatively it is the foremost edge of an airfoil sectio ...

is straight except for some pinching at the root and the wing has constant chord over about the inner 60% of span. Outboard, the

trailing edge The trailing edge of an aerodynamic surface such as a wing is its rear edge, where the airflow separated by the leading edge meets.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 521. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. ...

is tapered; the straight

wing tips A wing tip (or wingtip) is the part of the wing that is most distant from the fuselage of a fixed-wing aircraft. Because the wing tip shape influences the size and drag of the wingtip vortices, tip design has produced a diversity of sha ...

are slightly upturned. Frise ailerons on piano hinges span the outboard sections and the inner sections are spanned by slotted flaps. There is a single

lift strut In aeronautics, bracing comprises additional structural members which stiffen the functional airframe to give it rigidity and strength under load. Bracing may be applied both internally and externally, and may take the form of struts, which act in ...

on each side, attached to the lower fuselage. The P2008 has a low set all-moving constant chord tailplane with an anti-balance tab. The fin is swept and the

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, airship, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (usually air or water). On an airplane, the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw ...

moves above the tailplane. The P2008 is powered by a

Rotax 912ULS The Rotax 912 is a horizontally-opposed four-cylinder, naturally-aspirated, four-stroke aircraft engine with a reduction gearbox. It features liquid-cooled cylinder heads and air-cooled cylinders. Originally equipped with carburetors, ...

flat four piston engine driving a two blade

propeller A propeller (often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon a working flu ...

. The cabin seats two side-by side with a door each side and baggage space behind. The cabin and cabin doors are wider than on earlier Tecnam high-wing aircraft. Its fixed

tricycle undercarriage Tricycle gear is a type of aircraft undercarriage, or ''landing gear'', that is arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has one or more nose wheels in a single front undercarriage and two or more main wheels slightly aft of th ...

has spring

cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is unsupported at one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a cantilev ...

main legs and a castoring, non-steerable nosewheel on a compressed rubber suspension. Ground steering is achieved by differential braking. All wheels have speed fairings. The first flight was on 30 September 2008.

Operational history

The first P2008 was delivered to the US in December 2009. By November 2010 six had been registered in Australia, Italy,

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

and the United States. , five have been registered in New Zealand, including two as Class 2

Microlights Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight-shift control and conventional three-axis control aircraft with ailer ...

Variants

;P2008 :Base model with a

engine. ;P2008 TC :Turbocharged

Rotax 914 The Rotax 914 is a turbo-charged, four-stroke, four-cylinder, horizontally opposed aircraft engine with air-cooled cylinders and water-cooled cylinder heads. It is designed and built by the Austrian company BRP-Powertrain, owned by Bombardier ...

engine with three blade propeller. ;P2008 JC :

Certified Certification is part of testing, inspection and certification and the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestatio ...

version under EASA CS-VLA rules.

Specifications

References

External links

* {{Portal bar, Italy, Companies, Aviation Tecnam aircraft 2000s Italian civil utility aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft High-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 2009 Aircraft with fixed tricycle landing gear Single-engined piston aircraft