New Tecnam P2008 Owner - Mesquite, TX (HQZ)

[radioref]

Hi folks, want to say hello to the community.  Brand new P2008 owner, took possession last week (N41VA) in Little Rock.   did about 6 hours of transition training - did my primary training in the Vashon Ranger out of KDTO.

Read through a bunch of posts here to get up to speed.  Flying the plane home to it's home base in Mesquite TX (HQZ) on Monday.  

Look forward to sharing tips, tricks, thoughts about the airplane as a new owner.  

To be prepared, I've purchased the following so far in prep:

- case of ProShell Oil Sport Plus 4 Oil
- 12V Port Power supply for ground power
- Coolant appears to be DexCool orange
- universal fuel stick, sump, windshield cleaner and microfiber clothes, tie downs etc

Would love to hear feedback from other owners on some things you find helpful as a new owner to keep in mind.  G3X tips etc.  

Also, just recently saw the directive posted here from Tecnam regarding flap usage @ 15 degrees anytime in the green arc, that seems like that will be super helpful in the pattern.  

Glad to be aboard the team.

Thanks,
Lindsay

[Ed Midgley]

Welcome
Someone one usually will have the answer to any question you might have.
Ed

[Flocker]

Congrats and welcome to TT.

[Lon]

Lindsay, Have you — or anyone reading this — been able to confirm that the flap directive is still valid? It’s dated 2014, and the current POH is dated 2023. If 15 degrees of flaps are OK (for U.S. version P2008s), the POH should have been amended to show that — shouldn’t it? Without flaps, the Tecnam that I fly really doesn’t want to slow down to 71 kts, especially when descending for a landing. I can almost hear the plane saying to me “Hey, I’m flying here! I’m not ready to slow down.”

[LSA Flyer]

Yes the POH should have been updated and no "confirmation" has been added or retracted. The Sport Cruiser I owned before my 2008 had the same exception, in writing, for 15 degrees but never mentioned it in the POH. I agree the 08 is pretty slippery but it will slow down in the pattern or on final IF you cut the throttle enough And raise the nose. It feels rather uncomfortable to pitch up at all, but you need to bring your airspeed down to 70 in the downwind , 65 on final and 55 to 60 over the fence. Otherwise you'l float half a mile. Practice on a nice long and wide runway until you gain some confidence with the airspeed management. You might also try some slow flight practice, at a safe altitude, to get comfortable with the low speed margins. The plane is also very responsive to wind direction as you have probibly discovered, even a 3 MPH tailwind will suprise you on a short runway landing. I 've learned to pay much more attention to light winds that I previously ignored.

[Lon]

LSA Flyer, Do you use flaps to slow down from faster than 71, as allowed by the letter from Tecnam, or do you pull power and slow down before lowering the flaps to 15%? I ask because during my transition training, I was inbound for landing and was slowing down using the technique you described. I was ahead of a faster plane also inbound for landing and the Tower told me to “keep my speed up.” My instructor immediately offered to have us do a 360 to let the faster plane land first so we could continue to slow down. But the Tower said “No. Cleared to land now.” I was flying faster than 71 kts, so I did a No-Flap landing (which turned out to be quite smooth). I discovered Tecnantalk and the Tecnam flap letter after that and would like to take advantage of the letter by using flaps to slow down. But not if there’s been some change in the P2008 since 2014 — the plane that I fly is a 2022 model — that makes 71 the top flap speed again.

[ChiMike]

Practicing how you transition into ‘SlowFlight’ will also help.

I have a 2015 P2008t. When I’m at pattern altitude and slowed in to the Green Arc I go to 15 degrees flaps. As I cut back on power and get to-under 80 IAS I go to full flaps and then simply moderate pitch on final for airspeed and glide. I’m usually at 70-75 over the fence, then quickly at 60-65 at threshold. At that point the plane will settle to 55 or less as it floats in and I raise the nose slightly to land.

For shorter runways I slow things about five knots to 70-65, then 60, then 50-53.

It just takes practice and lots of reps until you’re ahead of the plane through the landing process and it becomes more intuitive.

For your newer plane does 71 knots IAS mean going to full flaps or any flaps at all? That seems awfully slow for such an otherwise fast airplane. I’m never (unless doing slow flight) that slow except at take-off or on very short final. And on final-short final I’m using my flaps.

[Lon]

Chi Mike,

According to the POH for the plane I fly, the max speed for any flaps at all — even 15% — is 71 kts. I suppose that the POH was originally written in Italian, and I wonder whether the translation to English wasn’t done with perfect accuracy.

Does the POH for your plane authorize 15% flaps in the green arc, or did you find that you needed flaps to slow down and discovered that using 15% at more than 71 kts didn’t damage anything so you just do it?

[ChiMike]

Somewhere in this group is the update from Tecnam that flaps can be used when in the green arc—it’s applicable to my era of the P2008t. I do not know if it was again revised for later Tecnam P2008’s



I go to 15% under 98. I go to 35% at some point between 70 and 80 depending upon conditions.

[LSA Flyer]

Lon, You asked if I use  "some" flap to slow down to that magic 71kts. Answer is I try to hit the airspeed number first but don't fret if I need the 15% drag doing 78. The technique for a typical non-towered, pattern approach is going to be different than a controlled tower, straight in. If I'm landing at a busy. controlled field, I'm going to be keeping my flaps and speed up until short final; after all, chances are it's a 6,000 foot runway ahead. Plenty of time to slow and deploy (or not) whatever flap setting you want. 

[ChiMike]

My primary runway is 8,000 feet. And there are so many aircraft—ranging from other GA single engine to business jets to military fighters to 737 and C-17’s when it’s busy. The tower is constantly revamping the stream of those landing to the spacing required and wake turbulence considerations. One thing they want, unless I have a slow mover in front of me, is as fast of an approach speed to short final as possible given weather- ground turbulence until short final. The beauty of our airplanes is that they can go from 100knots to 70 very quickly.

[radioref]

The before landing checklist in the POH for my aircraft (built in 2022) specifies:

Flaps...... AS DESIRED

I got caught up earlier this week flying in the pattern with a 15kt tailwind in the downwind and definitely struggled to slow down the airplane (I ended up going around because I was coming in hot). I'm getting used to the concept of really pulling back the throttle and pulling back the stick to slow the plane down, but it is a different perspective really trying to raise that nose in the pattern. Not used to pulling back to slow on those downwind to base turns which is the point it seems in this plane where you really got to get her slowed back... but I'm getting used to it. I'll need to dial it in a little better and be cognizant when there is a good tailwind in the pattern.

G3X questions for you guys

1) Is there any way to get the engine info strip available on the PFD pilot's display?
2) Fuel burn rate seems to be a glaring omission in the engine details page. Any ideas there?

[LSA Flyer]

From the G3x guide:


EIS DISPLAY LOCATION (OPTIONAL)
In Configuration Mode the ‘EIS Display Location’ setting can be set to one of the following:
• AUTO—Displays the EIS Strip on the MFD, or on the PFD1 (and PFD2 if applicable) if the MFD is not displayed.
• PFD—Always displays the EIS Strip on PFD1 (and PFD2 if applicable).
• User Selected—Enables the user to choose between ‘AUTO’ and ‘PFD’ via the Display Setup menu.
For more information on how to enable the ‘EIS Display Location’ setting in Configuration Mode refer to the G3X Touch Installation Manual.


The Flight Manual will give you the "book" expected rates. The typical P2008, with the 912ULS, does not have a fuel flow sensor, so the G3x will not show flow. It is possible to install a Red Cube flow sensor but that's not a trivial job. Nice to have but personally I don't miss it. My plane doesn't have EGT sensors  either!

[radioref]

awesome, thank you!

[Flocker]

Oct 3, 2024 15:14:25 GMT radioref said:

G3X questions for you guys

1) Is there any way to get the engine info strip available on the PFD pilot's display?
2) Fuel burn rate seems to be a glaring omission in the engine details page. Any ideas there?

I don't see where you posted your engine type.  I'm pretty sure fuel burn is only available on FADEC controlled engines.  (iS series).  It is a great feature.