Piaggio P180 Avanti II Twin-Engine Turboprop Business Aircraft , Italy
The Piaggio P180 Avanti II twin-engine turboprop business aircraft is the successor to the P180 Avanti, of which more than 100 aircraft were produced since its entry into service in 1990.
The Avanti II was certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in October 2005 and the first aircraft was delivered to a private customer in Switzerland in December 2005, to enter service shortly after. The aircraft received US FAA certification in March 2006. Orders have been received for 100 Avanti II aircraft. By May 2007, 25 had been delivered.
The Avanti II has a maximum operating speed of Mach 0.7. The aircraft is certified for single-pilot operation and seats up to nine passengers.
The Avanti II introduces enhanced avionics, higher performance in terms of speed and payload and a higher level of cabin comfort. The operational ceiling of the Avanti II is 41,000ft allowing the aircraft to fly above weather systems.
The aircraft are constructed at Piaggio Aero's manufacturing facilities in Genova, Italy. Piaggio America, Inc. based in West Palm Beach, Florida, completes, delivers and supports the Avanti aircraft in North America.
Piaggio America and Avantair signed a contract in November 2005 for 36 Piaggio Avanti II aircraft. The first five were delivered in December 2006.
In March 2007, two P180 Avanti II aircraft were delivered to the Italian Guardia di Finanza border patrol agency.
DESIGN
The uninterrupted aerodynamic curve shape from nose to tail gives decreased drag and improved laminar flow for efficient and high-performance flight characteristics. The aircraft has three separated lifting surfaces which give stability. It also has two-thirds of the conventional surface area, which also makes a major contribution to reduced drag and increased fuel efficiency.
The forward wing provides additional lift to push the nose of the fuselage upwards rather than using a conventional aerodynamic configuration which forces the tail down. The T-tail provides stability.
About 90% by weight of the aircraft is aluminium alloy and about 10% composites including carbon fibre-reinforced plastic for high-stress areas.
The construction method starts with shaping the aluminium skin in a vacuum mould and then sequentially fabricating the aircraft in layers.
FLIGHT DECK
The pilot and co-pilot have adjustable and reclining seats. The Avanti II avionics are based on the Rockwell Collins ProLine 21 suite and includes three 10in by 8in liquid crystal displays, an FMS 3000 flight management system and AHS 3000 attitude heading reference system.
The radar and navigation systems include the Collins WXR-840 colour radar and a dual Collins VIR-32 VOR, a Collins ADF-462 automatic direction finder, DME-42 distance measuring equipment and ALT-55B radar altimeter.
CABIN
The spacious cabin is 1.75m high and 1.85m wide and is fitted with five fully-adjustable cabin leather chairs and a divan.
The Avanti II cabin is rated at 68dbA speech interference level. The pusher engines direct sound toward the tail of the aircraft, minimising engine noise. The combined design of the wing, engine and fuselage provides a significant reduction in vibration for passenger comfort.
With a 9psi differential, the Avanti II's cabin maintains sea-level pressure up to 24,000ft.
ENGINES
The engines are mounted above the wing in all-composite nacelles manufactured by Moreggio. The Pratt &Whitney Canada PT6A-66 turboprop engines are rated at 634kW. The engines drive Hartzell five-bladed, constant-speed, fully feathering, reversible-pitch, rear-facing push propellers. The position of the propellers removes the drag of propeller vortices on the wings.
Pratt & Whitney PT6-66B engines will be introduced in 2006, which will give a 12kt increase in the cruise speed to the maximum of 398kt at altitudes over 35,000ft.
The two fuselage tanks and two wing tanks hold a maximum of 1,585l of usable fuel which gives a maximum range of 3,322km, allowing the completion of most corporate missions without refuelling. A flight from London to Athens or Paris to Moscow will take less than four hours. A 570km (300-mile) journey can be completed in 53 minutes
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LANDING GEAR
The aircraft is fitted with Dowty hydraulically retractable tricycle-type landing gear with a twin-wheeled nose unit and single-wheeled main units. The wheels are fitted with Goodrich hydraulically activated multi-disc carbon brakes.
The short field performance of the aircraft – 869m take-off distance over 50ft obstacle, and 872m landing distance over 50ft obstacle – allows the Avanti to fly to smaller airfields close to a wide number of destinations.
Piaggio
Pontedera, Italy
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