2004 Piaggio P180 Avanti - C-GPIA (sn 1072) Photo taken September 15, 2004 Penticton Airport, BC - Canada (YYF / CYYF) Photo © Marcel Siegenthaler

The Piaggio P180 Avanti is an Italian twin-engine turboprop aircraft produced by Piaggio Aero. It seats up to nine passengers in a pressurized cabin, and may be flown by one or two pilots.

The innovative design places the main wing behind and above the canard-like horizontal stabiliser, features a laminar flow fuselage and has engines in pusher configuration.

Development

The P180 design was tested in wind tunnels in Italy and the U.S. in 1980 and 1981. A collaboration with Learjet to develop the aircraft began in 1983 but ended on 13 January 1986, with Piaggio continuing development on its own. The first prototype flew on 23 September 1986. U.S. and Italian certification was obtained on 7 March 1990. Learjet's influence can be seen in the two "delta fins" mounted on the bottom of the tail, as found on most Learjets; these devices provide aerodynamic recovery force in the event of an aerodynamic stall. The first 12 fuselages were manufactured in Wichita, with H & H Parts and Plessey Midwest, then flown to Italy for final assembly. Avanti Aviation Wichita ran out of money in 1994; the project languished until a group of investors led by Piero Ferrari became involved in 1998. The 100th aircraft was delivered in October 2005 and the 150th in May 2008. Piaggio has reported that as of October 2010, the Avanti and Avanti II fleets have now logged over 500,000 flight hours.

An improved Avanti II obtained European and U.S. certification in November 2005. Six months later, 70 planes were already ordered, including 36 by Avantair. The Avanti II features uprated Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 turboprop engines and flies about 18 km/h (11 mph) faster, with better fuel economy; an all-new "glass panel" avionics suite reduces cockpit clutter. In addition to heading, attitude and navigation information, flat panel color LCD displays add collision avoidance (TCAS), ground proximity (TAWS) and real-time graphic weather depiction.

Design

The Avanti's turboprop engines are placed on a mid-fuselage, high aspect ratio wing, located behind the cabin. The design utilizes both a T-tail and a pair of small, fixed anhedral forward wings that lack control surfaces. The arrangement of the wing surfaces allows all three to provide lift, as opposed to a conventional configuration, where the horizontal stabilizer creates a downward force to counteract the nose-down moment generated by the center of gravity being forward of the center of lift. This is patented as "Three-Lifting-Surface Configuration" (3LSC). The Avanti II's forward wing has flaps that move in concert with main wing flaps. The forward wing pitch angle is set so it stalls before the main wing, producing an automatic nose-down effect; its five degree negative dihedral keeps the stream wash interference clear of the engine inlets, the main wing and the horizontal stabilizer.

Distinctive design features include a non-constant cross section cabin, the revolutionary shape of which approximates a NACA airfoil section. Piaggio claims the fuselage contributes up to 20% of the Avanti's total lift, with horizontal stabilizer, front and rear wing providing the remaining 80%. Because of the unusual fuselage shape, the mid cabin is considerably wider than the cockpit, and the entire cabin is ahead of the main wing spar. The front and rear airfoils are custom sections designed by Dr. Jerry Gregorek of The Ohio State University's AARL to achieve a drag-reducing 50% laminar flow at cruise.

The company claims the overall design of the P180 Avanti II enables the wing to be 34% smaller than on conventional aircraft and a specific range of 0.84 nmi/lb of fuel. This is significantly better than the 0.31-0.48 nmi/pound of similar small jets.

The P180 makes a distinctive square wave noise when passing overhead, similar to the Beech Starship, due to the wing wake and engine exhaust effects on the pusher propellers.

Variants

• P.180 Avanti
  First production variant.
• P180 M
  Military version with a combination passenger/freighter configuration for use as a VIP and light utility transport.
• P.180 RM
  Variant for use in radio calibration.
• P.180 AMB
  Air ambulance variant.
• P.180 APH
  Aerial cartography.
• P.180 Avanti II
  Variant with improved avionics.

Civil Operators

• Bangladesh
  Youngone - 1
• Canada
  2106701 Ontario Inc.
  Bell Aliant - 1
  Cascades Inc. - 2
  Skyservice Business Aviation - 2
  Royal Canadian Mounted Police - 1
• Czech Republic
  Icarus Aiviation Group - 1
• France
  Brittany Ferries - 1
  Pan Européenne Air Service - 1
  Transport'Air - 4
• Germany
  AirGO Private Airline - 5
• Indonesia
  Susi Air - 2
• India
  TajAir - 1
• Italy
  Blue Panorama Airlines - 2
  Eurofly Service - 1
  Protezione Civile
  State Forestry Corps - 1
  State Police - 1
  Vigili del Fuoco - 2
  Windjet - 2
• Jordan
  Saraya Skies - 3 (3 others in option)
• Poland
  Lotnicze Pogotowie Ratunkowe (Polish Medical Air Rescue) - 2
• Netherlands
  JetNetherlands - 1
  Solid Air - 1
• United States
  Avantair - 56 aircraft ordered
  Mountain Aviation - 1

Civil Military

• Italy
  Italian Air Force
  Italian Army
  Italian Navy
• United Arab Emirates
  United Arab Emirates Air Force ordered two aircraft at the 2009 Paris Air Show.

Specifications (P180 Avanti)

General characteristics
Crew: one or two pilots
Capacity: up to nine passengers
Cabin dimensions: 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) high, 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) wide, 4.45 m (14 ft 7 in) long
Payload: 907 kg (2,000 lb)
Length: 14.41 m (47 ft 3½ in)
Wingspan: 14.03 m (46 ft 0½ in)
Height: 3.97 m (13 ft 0¾ in)
Wing area: 16 m² (172.2 ft²)
Empty weight: 3,400 kg (7,500 lb)
Useful load: 1,860 kg (4,100 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 5,239 kg (11,550 lb)
Powerplant: 2× Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-66 turboprops, 634 kW (850 shp) each

Performance
Maximum speed: 732 km/h (395 kn, 455 mph)
Cruise speed: 593 km/h (320 kn, 368 mph) (econ cruise)
Range: 2,592 km (1,400 nmi, 1,612 mi) at 11,900 m (39,000 ft) with reserves
Service ceiling: 12,500 m (41,000 ft)
Rate of climb: 15 m/s (2,950 ft/min)
Wing loading: 327 kg/m² (67.1 lb/ft²)
Power/mass: 0.24 kW/kg (6.79 lb/hp)