Piaggio P.180 Avanti

  • CountryItaly
  • TypeTwin turboprop executive transport
  • PowerplantsTwo 635kW (850shp) Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A66 turboprops driving five blade constant speed Hartzell props.
  • PerformanceMax speed 732km/h (395kt), max cruising speed 644km/h (348kt). Initial rate of climb 2950ft/min. Service ceiling 41,000ft. Range with one pilot, six passengers and IFR reserves 2595km (1400nm).
  • WeightsEmpty equipped 3400kg (7500lb), max takeoff 5240kg (11,550lb).
  • DimentionsWing span 14.03m (46ft 1in), length 14.41m (47ft 4in), height 3.94m (12ft 11in). Wing area 16.0m2 (172.2sq ft).
  • CapacityFlightcrew of one or two (certificated for single pilot operation). Max seating in main cabin for nine in high density airliner configuration. Standard seating for seven in individual seats. Executive/VIP seating for five.
  • ProductionOrders placed for approximately 42 Avantis (including three for the Italian air force for use as regional transports), with 30 built by early 1995. Production restarting against an Italian air force order for 12.

The imaginative Avanti has been a moderate dealer in spite of its current peculiarities, and plane like execution however turboprop working expenses.

Improvement of the Avanti goes again to program dispatch in 1981. Entryways Learjet took an interest in Avanti advancement from 1983 and would have fabricated the Avanti's forward fuselage, yet rather withdrew from the project in January 1986. Not discouraged by Gates' withdrawal, Piaggio expected aggregate control of the system, and all tooling and three forward fuselages for what would have been the Learjet P.180 were exchanged to Italy.

Piaggio flew the first of two P.180 models on September 23 1986, the second flew in May 1987. Italian certificate was allowed in March 1990, the first creation Avanti flew that May and the first client conveyance occurred in September 1990.

The irregular Avanti stays interesting for a corporate air ship in that it offers three flying surfaces - the canard foreplane, wing and tail. This course of action offers the profits of the canard, as well as implied the wing could be situated in the back of the fuselage, with the goal that it didn't barge in on accessible inside lodge space. The little regular laminar stream wing was planned by the Ohio State University. The pusher motor setup was decided to lessen lodge commotion.

Composites are utilized within various ranges, including the tail, motor nacelles, canards, detachable wing folds, arriving rigging entryways and the tail cone, yet by and large, not at all like the Beech Starship, most development is customary. A three screen Collins EFIS flightdeck is standard, a five screen suite is offered as a choice.

Twice Piaggio has expanded the P.180's most extreme weight, in this way enhancing its payload range.

In November 1998 Piaggio was bought by Tushav of Turkey, which wanted to create an extended, plane fueled advancement.

Pictures of Piaggio P.180 Avanti