Tecnam P2002 Sierra gets luxury upgrade
Aircraft to debut in Florida Jan. 25
Italy’s Tecnam aircraft company, manufacturer of light sport aircraft in the United States and ultralights in Europe, has upgraded its P2002 Sierra to the MkII second-generation model.
The two-seat aircraft is powered by a 100-horsepower Rotax engine. It can reach nearly the top speed allowed in the light sport category—120 knots—thanks to a redesigned engine cowling. It will also be available as an experimental category airplane in addition to a light sport aircraft and ultralight.
It is positioned in the marketplace just beneath the company’s Astore super luxury model. Cramming all possible options into the Astore might drive the price as high as $195,000, while doing the same for the Sierra would reach only $178,000. The base price depends largely on the Sierra’s avionics package but ranges from $150,000 to $160,000 for an aircraft with Garmin G3X Touch avionics and two 10.6-inch screens.
The model number P2002 refers to the year that it was designed. New features include more clearance beneath the canopy so that even someone 6 feet 5 inches and wearing a headset won’t have to duck as the canopy is closed prior to flight. It is Americanized, meaning that while it has a steerable nosewheel, it also has toe brakes.
Seats will slide farther forward and aft, coming closer to the seats found in the super luxury two-seat Astore. The upgraded Sierra will be available in three styles: standard, premium, and power. Power refers to the motif, not to the engine size. Seats and interior reach the highest level at the power style.
Bydanjohnson.com noted recently that numbers from the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) show that Tecnam has 20 percent of all the reported piston single-engine aircraft deliveries in the first three quarters of 2016. There were 601 deliveries, but not all aircraft manufacturers report deliveries to GAMA.
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