AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2021 - 56

IF THE LANDING GEAR doesn't deploy, an emergency actuator is located on the floor by the pilot's feet. Trailing link landing gear are easy
to inspect and forgiving for pilots new to a Tecnam. The landing hydraulic compartment must be checked for proper pressure as part of
the preflight.
my posterior in the seat and pulled my
leg in, much like entering a car. It was a
refreshing change from clamoring onto
a wing, stepping onto a seat, and then
plopping into place. Did the Tecnam
engineers have me in mind when they
created this fuselage? No, but a grateful
short nation appreciates the comfort
factor. Another novelty: A safety switch
deploys when the right door is closed,
ensuring it cannot be opened when the
engines are running.
The tidy front office pays homage
to an airline cockpit: circuit breakers
placed by the yokes on the left and right
sides; fuel selector placed on an overhead
panel; two avionics busses and two
cross busses; and five ways to power the
electrical system.
N60KK's panel includes standard
analog instruments. A Tecnam representative
said most P2006Ts are sold
with Garmin G1000NXi or G1000 systems
installed.
On startup, the Rotaxes clatter to life,
yet it's surprisingly quiet inside the airplane
even with the MT Propeller wood/
composite propeller spinning inches
from the pilot's head. Taxiing is straightforward,
though once the airplane gains
momentum the residual thrust of two
engines makes it harder to stop than a
single-engine airplane.
56 | AOPA PILOT July 2021
Cleared for takeoff, we roll onto the
runway and smoothly accelerate (two throttles!).
Right rudder is needed to keep on the
centerline, but not as much as anticipated.
Rotation speed is 65 knots. The airplane
sits nose low on the ground, so when you
do rotate the nose comes level first.
In the air, the P2006T is light on the
controls, yet noticeable control pressure
changes point to the fact that this
is, indeed, a larger airplane.
The P2006T's en route rate of climb
is 841 feet per minute at 2,000 feet. Shut
down an engine under the same conditions
and you're now climbing at 69 fpm.
That's a 90 percent loss of performance, so
your recovery game needs to be on point.
If you lose an engine after takeoff while
the gear is still down, leave the gear down
and land straight ahead. " As docile as it is,
that's where it comes up to try and bite
you, " Lanigan said.
Landing the Tecnam P2006T takes
some practice. The sight picture on final
is steep. A pilot transitioning from Cessna
Skyhawks will want to flare too much,
too soon. It's best to leave in some power
prior to touchdown, or else the airplane
may sink too rapidly.
Day to day training with the P2006T
reveals idiosyncrasies with the weight
and balance. During preflight Lanigan displays
a 5-gallon water jug that is kept in
the baggage compartment. The P2006T's
reference datum is the leading edge of the
wing. The pilot seats are forward of the
center of gravity, and the passenger seats
are abeam the datum and do not help with
the center of gravity. With less than full
fuel and two people up front, the CG can
be too far forward. Lanigan instructs his
students to do a weight and balance calculation
on every flight.
Both Bravo and Riverside Flight
Academy report that Tecnam customer
support has been good. Rotax
parts are available from Aircraft Spruce
& Specialty, which helps. Shipping a
part from Italy can sometimes cause a
delay, but " that hasn't been an issue, "
Riverside's Backlund said.
The airplane hasn't been a home run
with all buyers, but customer satisfaction
ranks high among those who are finding
real benefits in operating a modern multiengine
aircraft that delivers quality
training at a lower operational cost. And
you can't discount that " new airplane "
appeal of a trainer that isn't plastered
with INOP stickers.
" Instructors like it from the standpoint
that there's not too many places
where you get to fly a three- or four-year
old airplane, " said Backlund.
AOPA
EMAIL jill.tallman@aopa.org

AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2021

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