Tecnam’s Shapely P2008 Is Now a Canadian Advanced Ultralight Aircraft

P2008 is seen in front of the Sebring, Florida terminal building at the airport where Tecnam’s U.S. operation is based.

America’s neighbor to the north is USA’s largest trading partner …yes, bigger than China, or any other single country. It may be hard to accept that exchanges with a nation of 36 million population exceeds China by almost a third, despite that Asian nation’s 1.37 billion persons and its export-promoting government. Nonetheless, it’s true.

Canada is also the #2 nation bringing regular reader to this website. Gotta love those Canadians.

Armed with those facts, I was intrigued to see the announcement from the big Italian company, “Tecnam P2008 now available in Canada.”

A few days back, Tecnam announced that Transport Canada, their equivalent to FAA, confirmed that the P2008 has been added to the Eligible to Be Registered Advanced Ultralight Listing (although the Tecnam model has not been added to their website list at this writing).

“P2008 aircraft may be registered in Canada as of this date,” wrote Civil Aviation Safety Inspector, Craig Davis of Transport Canada on August 14, 2017.

P2008 captured in flight. All photos courtesy Tecnam Aircraft.

An “Advanced Ultralight” is not an American ultralight vehicle nor a European Ultralight — sometimes called Microlight. The last is limited to a weight of 472.5 kilograms (1,040 pounds) with an airframe parachute, as required in Germany. An American ultralight is limited to 254 pounds empty weight, with some allowances for airframe parachutes or float gear.

In Canada, a two-seat Advanced Ultralight is limited to 1,232 pounds, whereas in the USA, Tecnam’s sleek P2008 can weigh 1,320 pounds (600 kilograms).

According to Transport Canada’s regulations an advanced ultra-light aeroplane (AULA) is an aeroplane which:

• Is propeller driven;
• Is designed to carry a maximum of two persons, including the pilot;
• Has a maximum take-off mass of 350 kilograms (770 pounds) for a single place aeroplane, or
  560 kilograms (1,232 pounds) for a two place aeroplane;
• A maximum stalling speed in the landing configuration at manufacturer’s recommended maximum take-off mass (weight) not exceeding 72 km/h (20 m/s, 45 mph) (IAS); and,
• Is limited to non-aerobatic operations.

Tecnam’s four seat conventionally-certified P2010 bears a great resemblance to the earlier P2008.

Tecnam’s two-place composite fuselage and metal wing P2008 has enjoyed success across the globe as an US-LSA and CS-VLA (Very Light Aircraft, a standard that allows more gross weight). “It is now welcome in Canada as an advanced-ultralight,” Tecnam said.