The market for multi-engine piston planes isn’t a big one, and the number of options for pilots looking to fly with two mills instead of just one is somewhat limited in number, though not in variety. The selection ranges from the four-seat Piper Seminole twin, which is almost exclusively sold as a training solution with its pair of Lycoming O-360 engines, all the way up to the $1.2 million Diamond DA62 diesel twin with FADEC Austro turbocharged diesel engines. In between are just a few new planes, though all of them are remarkable designs in a number of ways that set them apart from their competition.
Tecnam P2006T
The high-wing, twin-engine Tecnam P2006T, certificated in 2010 (the designation refers to the year in which the plane was launched), is an all-metal four-seater that’s popular in the training market and for use as a spotter—no competing high-wing light twins are in production. It’s also the lightest Part 23 production twin we know of. At a maximum takeoff weight of 2,712 pounds, it’s around 1,100 pounds lighter than the Seminole. It’s powered by a pair of Rotax 912S engines, producing just under 100 hp apiece, which are extremely fuel efficient, burning 10-12 gph total in cruise and even less in the typical training scenarios, when lower power settings are commonly used. Its trailing link landing gear is strong and forgiving for relatively inexperienced pilots, and its 140 knot cruise speed, which might sound slow by twin standards, is pretty sweet when you’re only burning 9 gph.
Niche: Training/Utility
Base Price: $440,000
Competitors: PiperSeminole, Diamond DA42
Learn more at Tecnam.
