This is the story of three jaw-dropping moments that followed my introduction to the gorgeous, new Tecnam P2008. The first agape moment came after seeing a photo online and trying to post about the plane on my P&P blog: My thesaurus ran out of synonyms for “beautiful” long before I ran out of enthusiasm for word-painting the new metal/carbon-fiber S-LSA. Here, I thought, is the complete aeronautical designer’s skill at work: form plus function, with a decidedly scintillating emphasis on form.
On my demo flight at Sebring, Fla., with Tommy Grimes, the affable president of Tecnam North America, he likened the new airplane—the first in America—to a supremely appointed Mercedes sedan. Tecnam has gone all out here. The construction and finish are top-drawer. Appointments and the glass-loaded, stylish instrument panel fully complement the sleek, flowing exterior.
