There was cause for celebration in Italy recently. Tecnam’s P2010 four-seat, clean-sheet airplane successfully flew for the first time on April 12 in Capua. ( See video of the flight.)

The P2010 was announced a few years ago. It’s Tecnam’s first entry into the certificated single-engine market in the United States, and the company claims 50 worldwide orders thus far for the airplane. The P2010 features a carbon-fiber fuselage, metal wings, a Lycoming IO-360, and a range of avionics options. According to Tecnam, the airplane is expected to cruise at around 130 knots.

Test pilot Marco Locatelli said after the flight that, “The P2010’s behavior appears safe and predictable in all investigated speed initial envelope, flight controls are precise and effective.”

The airplane is expected to be certified in the United States by the end of the year.