Aircraft

Tecnam P2008: No-Apologies High End

The relatively lackluster sales of new LSAs has proven one thing: There's not much room at the bottom of the market. Although there are sub-$100,000 LSAs out there, the top 10 sellers are above that price tier. Some are we'll above it. And thats where Tecnams newish P2008 comes in. The base price is $154,999, but equipped with the glass panel package most buyers would probably want, it invoices at about $170,000. Regardless of how would-be buyers might view this, the P2008 isn't a no-frills entry level LSA. If you want one of those, the Kitfox we reviewed in the December 2010 issue is a good starting place.

Paul Bertorelli
Verified

The relatively lackluster sales of new LSAs has proven one thing: There’s not much room at the bottom of the market. Although there are sub-$100,000 LSAs out there, the top 10 sellers are above that price tier. Some are we’ll above it.

And thats where Tecnams newish P2008 comes in. The base price is $154,999, but equipped with the glass panel package most buyers would probably want, it

invoices at about $170,000. Regardless of how would-be buyers might view this, the P2008 isn’t a no-frills entry level LSA. If you want one of those, the Kitfox we reviewed in the December 2010 issue is a good starting place.

So what is the P2008 then? We view it as Cessna 172 or 177 writ small and, yes, cheaper. In case you havent looked recently, 172s are retailing above $300,000, which makes the P2008 a little more than half the cost. It doesnt have the Skyhawks capabilities, but buyers who wince at these prices tend to forget that new LSAs are far less expensive than new certified airplanes. Period.

Tecnam Roots

Tecnams business experience dates to the 1940s (see sidebar on page 23) so its not some faddish LSA upstart. This shows in how Tecnam products compare against other LSAs. In our September 2008 review of five LSAs, Tecnams Sierra rose to the top as a definitive LSA because of construction quality, handling and overall value. The P2008 continues that tradition.

If the Sierra looks like a shrunken Tiger, the P2008 looks like an unsanforized

Paul Bertorelli

Paul Bertorelli is Aviation Consumer’s Editor at Large. In addition to his valued contributions to Aviation Consumer, his in-depth video productions on sister publication AVweb cover a wide variety of topics that greatly contribute to safety, operation and aircraft ownership. When Paul isn’t writing or filming, he’s out flying his J3 Cub.