Tecnam P2006T

The Tecnam P2006T is a high-winged, twin-engined all-metal light aircraft built by Costruzioni Aeronautiche Tecnam, which is based in Capua, Italy (near Naples). Certified in the European Union by EASA under CS23, the P2006T received Federal Aviation Administration FAR Part 23 certification in 2010.

The P2006T is the lightest twin-engined certified aircraft available, and is a four-seat aircraft with fully retractable landing gear and liquid-cooled Rotax engines that can run on 92 octane unleaded automotive gasoline as well as 100LL.

Design
The P2006T is a conventional configuration, high-wing aircraft. Its stabilator is attached to the fuselage, mostly aft of the vertical fin (the stabilator is a single unit with a cutout in its leading edge where it mounts to the tailcone). The nosewheel of the tricycle landing gear retracts into the nose cone; the trailing-link main units retract into stubs which extend from the lower fuselage. The fuselage section is a slightly rounded rectangle, higher than it is wide. A door on each side of the fuselage provides access to the seating area; in addition an escape hatch is provided above the two forward seats, to be used if fuselage deformation in a crash prevents those doors from being operable.

The Rotax engine cylinder heads are liquid-cooled; there are cooling vanes on the cylinder barrels. Thus both cooling airflow thru the nacelle, and a cooling radiator, are required in each cowl. The electric starters, used to start the engines on the ground, must also be used for an inflight restart, since the highly-geared engines cannot be turned by airflow past the stopped propeller. Thus, for FAA certification, the company was required to add a backup battery in addition to the standard battery. The pilot's power quadrant contains three controls for each engine: throttle, propeller rpm, and carburetor heat. The engines have automatic mixture adjustment, so there is no mixture control required on the panel.

The link between the flight controls and the flight surfaces is by pushrod, rather than the usual cables.

Variants

 * P2006T
 * Standard civilian version.


 * P2006T MRI
 * Multi-sensor Reconnaissance and Identification military patrol version.

Military operators
The Chilean Navy is reviewing the possibility of purchasing several P2006T MRI aircraft to replace its aging Cessna O-2 Skymaster aircraft. Up to eight are desired, but initial procurement may only be for three or four planes. The Partenavia AP.68TP is also being assessed.