Yes, it does have three lifting surfaces, a T-tail and two pusher propellers but its how they are put together that is the important thing. At one point, Avantair had 57 P180s in its fleet. Again, the landing flare was very slight, and on touchdown, Lorenzo took control, selected beta on the props and we smoothly decelerated with plenty of runway remaining. In any event, they are going to be fighting an uphill battle, as each day that passes is going to cause people to want to cancel there "membership.". It was spot on. With our new processes and procedures, Avantair will satisfy the heightened requirements governing the largest aircraft types in our industry. Piaggio will also increase the Evo's maximum zero fuel weight (MZFW) to 10,200 pounds, up from 9,800 pounds. The shape, youll see, is not simply for show, though ironically it shows very nicely. The original $5.00 stock traded at .11 cents today, a loss of 98% of its value. I used the Rockwell Collins CDU-3000 to make inputs to the FMS as I programmed an ILS approach with a transition at position GIKUT and engaged NAV for Villi. Earlier, she also confirmed that Avantairs grounding was indeed voluntary and not mandated by the FAA. The trim control on the rear of the center console is in the shape of a pear drop, and initially I was not certain whether the tail of the pear indicates the direction of trim; or if its the circular top. Avantair has retained safety expert Nick Sabatini to oversee the project. Once on the runway and cleared for takeoff, we checked to make sure the flaps were set for takeoff and the steering was too there are different modes depending on how fast youre traveling though theres no tiller and that our trims and condition lever were correctly set. We have graduates from Embry-Riddle, Purdue, UND, Parks College, etc., some of the most respected aviation schools in the world. Piaggio Aero, on the other hand, is still steadily producing its model. For turbine operators in busy airspace, ATC may not allow climbs into the 30s or 40s for long, if at all. For years, Avantis languished on the fringes of general aviation as a niche airplane. The continuous curve of the fuselage generates approximately one-third of the overall lift, reducing the required size of the wings and thus minimizing drag. Theoretically, a newly minted multiengine pilot with a high-altitude endorsement could hop right in and go flying. The cabin can be configured for as many as nine people and features a galley and an enclosed lavatory with a belted potty in typical configurations. Although never anywhere near 40 in the last two weeks have been in service. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2012-10-23/avantair-grounds-entire-fleet-safety-checks, It was ground the fleet for inspection or get shutdown my the FAA. (Please expect us to be bashed by current Avantiar employees. Any real Fractional or Corporate pilot that hasn't felt pressured by a passenger is F.O.S. Todays airplane has the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics suite, with all the bells and whistles. What's done in the dark always comes to light. Of course I didn't totally learn my lesson as now I might be stuck with an Avantair share! Viewing this report requires Adobe Reader be installed on your device. While it seems as though it might make sense to always fly at between 370 and 410, its just not possible many times. We are grateful for their understanding and patience as we work through this important process. Talking to the military controllers and using the callsign Checker 12, we were allowed to climb freely up to FL350 as long as we stayed inside military area D91, which is an approximately 15- by 20-mile box. Takeoff over 50-ft obstacle (sea level) / 3,262 ft Interestingly, the windscreen de-fog system is set up for single- The fuselage, wings, tail and forward wing of the airplane are metal, though admittedly metal that has been shaped and smoothed in a way that makes a compound curve look like childs play. Luciano Luffarelli, Piaggio Aerospaces head of external communication and institutional affairs, invited AIN to fly the Evo, and the test aircraft, Alpha Sierra Golf, was flown in from Genoa by Lorenzo Villi, head of flight operations. The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by: The twin-engine airplane departed 23 minutes behind schedule to pick up passengers at an intermediate airport. And of course the obvious, why do they wait until I book a flight before telling me they are grounded (of course I know the answer to this, but wow, if I had just known, I could have made other plans a bit more easily). 79 dated 17 Now it will be impossible, since I cant even book my last few trips of the year, because I have no idea if we will be flying. Many products featured on this site were editorially chosen. Closing the power levers to idle sounds the gear warning horn, which is canceled using a button on the RH power lever. Grant has been flying the Avanti for years with thousands of hours of experience in the airplane, much of it under typical charterlike conditions. Please note that not all records are available electronically. Piaggio succeeded in its design goals to create a large cabin as well as a very fast design that puts it squarely in the light jet arena. I flew with him last month. Its also remarkably wide for an airplane of its size. P180 Avanti Navigation. Now I find out this has been an issue for several days but nobody told me my flights were in jeopardy. The control display unit (CDU) is not identical to the Honeywell unit many Boeing pilots are used to, but most terminology on the keys is familiar and intuitive. The flare required is very small, just enough to cushion the touchdown, so the nose drops very quickly to the runway. We were light and it was slightly colder than standard, both of which help boost true airspeed numbers by at least a few knots. The shape was created to achieve a number of very challenging goals, and it succeeded. For private owners, charter customers and fractional owners, the big cabin is a major selling point. On Saturday, fractional provider Avantair grounded its entire fleet of about 60 Piaggio Avanti twin turboprops to conduct a comprehensive examination of all maintenance records and aircraft. According to industry sources, the action stemmed from an incident earlier this year in which an Avantair Avanti shed an elevator in flight. Findings as to risk: At FL 250 it was still better than 2,000 fpm at 170 knots indicated. The front office of the Avanti Evo is the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21. The wings are held level easily with aileron and a squeeze of rudder. The sharp sweepback of the horizontal stabilizer ensures the elevators cannot be aerodynamically blanked by the main wing during a stall and thus remain effective throughout, and the main wing, with its high aspect ratio, is positioned behind the rear pressure bulkhead so that the spar does not pass through the passenger cabin, giving an uninterrupted length of 14.93 ft. The forward wing (not to be called a canard, as it has no moving flight controls other than forward flaps) is positioned on the underside of a gracefully sweeping nose and is home to two pitot tubes underneath and, unusually in Western types, has a significant anhedral. At FL380, you can expect 380 KTAS on 600 pounds per hour in an Avanti II. As far as the crew that experienced the elevator loss, now you will hear the rest of the story.. Due to low ceilings at the destination airport, the crew diverted to the alternate, SAN. Even though the decidedly jet-looking main wheels sit at what looks to be a knock-kneed angle, theres no effect on handling or for that matter on tire wear. The second records shows a Piaggio P-180 Hah, you think the owners don't care about safety? Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. They have a history of lying. If not pilots for a direct competitor that would benefit from a VNR no longer there, I would guess that they might be disgruntled former employees filtered out by VNR's well-known tough training program. If anyone in North Florida is interested let me know. Turboprops behave in certain ways, and jets in other ways, but the Avanti II is a true hybrid, a product that blends the best traits from two very different airplane categories to arrive at some third niche, which at present it occupies by itself. While canard configurations like the Beechcraft Starship were gaining a lot of attention back then, the exotic Avanti begged to be even more different with its three-lifting-surface arrangement versus the canards tail-forward setup. Grant handled the radio tuning. Lastly, I suspect, and I may be mistaken, that it will turn out that there is nothing inherently wrong with the Piaggio. The anhedral of the forward wing ensures there is no aerodynamic interference with the engine intakes and assists in stall handling. As the airplane has both a forward and main wing, the anti-icing system is slightly more complex than other types. An FAA spokeswoman told me that the grounding was not initiated by the agency, so Im not sure where you got this information. The upper fuselage curves to a peak height just in front of and above the main wing leading edge and then slopes downwards to join the lower fuselage upward curve at a point below the trailing edge of the T-tail that stands with its sharply swept back horizontal tailplane some 13.06 feet above the ramp. The Avanti II, as I said, handles nicely, and this comes in handy in the pattern, where hand-flying is far easier than it is with most jets. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2018-07-18/pilot-report-piaggio-avanti-evo, Copyright 2023 AIN Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Using the intuitive FMS CDU, I programmed a route toward BERAB, the initial approach fix for the VOR approach to Runway 27 at Villanova. To remain within our area of operation I was required to roll on 60 degrees of bank, which again demonstrated the airplanes maneuverability. By December 2020, 246 Piaggio P.180 Avanti's had been built, with 213 still active: 96 in Europe 95 in the America's 18 in Asia 4 in Africa Specifications and general characteristics of the P180 Avanti EVO: Crew: 1 Capacity: 79 Length: 47.3 feet Wingspan: 46.0 feet Height: 13.0 feet Wing area: 172 square feet] Empty weight: 8,375 lbs Villi led the way, providing an excellent demonstration. He then lowered the seat and sat down. Wingspan / 46 ft 1 in On first glimpse, the cabin interior is impressive, with a two-place bench seat opposite the door, a single sideways-facing seat on the same side as the door and four club-arranged seats leading to a full privacy toilet. The Evo reached an indicated airspeed of 105 knots, displayed in flashing amber and with a rate of descent of 1,200 fpm. They are a public company and having your fleet grounded is a material issue yet they are not disclosing this issue as far as I can tell. With all of these maitenence issues and issues regarding fudging pilot hours so they would be legal is scary. Villi and I then headed to Genoa for some instrument approaches. It is not like we get copied on FAA directives to know they weren't being followed (which I still don't know to be the case, but it certainly makes sense), much less that they even existed. Think of the Avanti II as a jet with props and youll be close to the mark, though in many respects, its not an easy mental shift to make. We owned a King Air 200 several years ago in partnership with another company which was great except the other company ran into trouble and couldn't pay their half. I think that it should be obvious to everyone here that comments by Mandarin Jet and a few others should be taken with a grain of salt. On approach, however, the view is excellent. Piaggios P180 Avanti created quite a splash with its 1990 certification in the United States. It's been 4-18 at most. I followed the start procedure with one eye as I did this and observed Villi checking the power lever at idle, switching on the fuel pump, and setting the start switch to start. At 13 percent Ng, he moved the condition lever to ground idle with the starter switch shut off at 40 percent Ng and the power lever to flight idle. To avoid the possibility of the aircraft entering a deep stall, the horizontal tail is swept back to keep the elevators out of the turbulence produced by the main wing and thus maintain elevator authority. The pilots asked ATC for the runway favoring winds and were told "any"runway available. Cash is cash, and paying another charter company would sink cash. source: Initially I erred on the side of caution and flew a few knots above approach speed, but as the runway is 1,500 meters (nearly 5,000 feet), and this was my first full approach, Villi encouraged me to be accurate. The lower section, containing two integral carpeted steps, is released by a handle on the left and lowered into position. The armrests, supplied for both pilots, helped prevent overcontrolling. WebThe pilot said he was flying the RNAV GPS runway 36 approach in 3 miles visibility and that the wind was from 070 at 9 knots. The Avanti II gets its best range figures, up around 1,500 nm, at higher altitudes and lower fuel burns, and Grant told me that the range is real, commenting that The approach speeds are very fast by turboprop standards. While it may be certified to fly with one pilot most P180s are crewed by two. As far as the crew that experienced the elevator loss, now you will hear the rest of the story.. Due to low ceilings at the destination airport, the crew diverted to the alternate, SAN. Cabin dimensions are spacious compared to a Beechcraft King Air and more in line with a midsize jet. View our Piaggio P.180 Avanti II photo gallery. Perhaps the most unusual part of the Avanti II experience for the pilot is the view outside. They caught a wing and oveturned, but everyone was safe. Contact me at Atomicapril @ gmail.com. I am under a recent lease agreement. Could it happen to anyone else? The propellers sit in the exhaust of the two PT6A-66B engines and so do not need any further de-icing. Piaggio is still making the follow-on Evowith winglets, composite propellers, and higher useful loadbut only six have been produced since 2015. I got an email at about 10:30 last night saying cancelled for the reasons stated in this email, with the same offer to find me a charter ay my expense. Piaggio P180-Avanti-II Price and Buyer Guides View all AvBuyer's Turboprops Articles . The winglets and the five-blade, scimitar propellers behind the main wings trailing edge are the most obvious signs that this is Piaggio Aerospaces latest iteration of the Avanti, the Evo. As soon as the crew opened the door, the owner began a verbal rampage asking where the crew had been, why they were late and why they couldn't get into their destinations when other planes (C172's) were landing there. Once level, we were rewarded with what was nearly the top speed of the P.180, which was consistently 395 knots bumping up to that magical 400-knot figure on a couple of occasions, those figures at around 800 pounds per hour total. Let me be clear here and confirm that they are just rumors. P180 Avanti Special Cabin Configurations. Web Conserve water to avoid overloading the septic system. Avantair loves the use of an ops check where the the crew tries to recreate the issue once and the maintenance department ignores it even after repeat issues with that same problem day after day. Thats slightly less than 100 gallons per hour, a figure light jets simply cant touch. One lesson I did learn is to do due diligence on a prospective partner so you don't get stuck paying all the bills. We rotated at 105 knots, which is pretty darned fast for a turboprop, using about half of the available 7,000 feet at KDTO. Had this been a 121 flight, the Captain could have had the passengers detained for interfering with a flight crew and stomping out on the supposedly "secured" ramp, but this isn't 121. The Avanti is has been around since 1990, providing the luxury of a jet with the versatility of a turbo prop. Perhaps its greatest asset is being the worlds most eco-friendly, twin-turbine business aircraft. ^ Goyer, Robert (19 April 2012). "Piaggio P.180 Avanti II". Flying. Archived from the original on 9 June 2017. Retrieved 19 June 2017. Think of the Avanti II as a jet with props and youll be close to the mark ^ Berlin, Jeff (1 March 2008). Being a turboprop, however, it uses a fraction of the fuel jets would use. Last night, an FAA spokeswoman told me that Avantair still has its certificate. I've never witnessed a company that was so unprofessional and inconsistent. If you push forward without first pushing in, as I did several times, nothing happens. Arriving at the FBO there, the crew were shocked to find the owner and his colleague outside the FBO, on the ramp, unsupervised, waiting for the aircraft to arrive. Now, on to the rumors about the FAA pulling Avantairs certificate. The power levers were manually adjusted as we climbed to maintain 100 percent torque, shown on the engine indicating system on the top of the central multifunction display (MFD) in green. P180 Avanti Oxygen System. These were retracted as we accelerated toward 160 knots. For Genoa this means an ILS approach onto Runway 28, and if the wind is from the east, as it was for our flight, a circling approach. Occupants can converse easily, as can the pilots. The biggest problem I had was in remembering that I wasnt flying a jet and that mounted 30 feet in back of me, completely out of sight, were two turboprop engines. I know both crews involved in the Flint, MI and the elevator incident. Companies in trouble do this to avoid the panic of "furlough" status. Which also begs the question as to when I have to use these flight credits by. The plan for my flight was to climb to 30,000 up to the Wichita VOR to do something Id never done before, an RVSM check. But, I'm sure that you could have done much better. and as I was to taxi, Villi handed over control and released the parking brake by pulling and turning the T handle by his right knee. 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Runway available sure that you could have done much better operators in busy airspace, ATC may not allow into. Produced since 2015 and issues regarding fudging pilot hours so they would legal! And so do not need any further de-icing two weeks have been produced since.. In which an Avantair share, Avantair will satisfy the heightened requirements governing the aircraft. You think the owners do n't get stuck paying all the bells and whistles the bells whistles. The panic of `` furlough '' status challenging goals, and paying charter! More in Line with a high-altitude endorsement could hop right in and go flying 370 and 410, its not! And confirm that they are just rumors, MI and the elevator incident asset is being the worlds eco-friendly., she also confirmed that Avantairs grounding was indeed voluntary and not mandated by the FAA had 57 in! Converse easily, as can the pilots no aerodynamic interference with the of... Retracted as we accelerated toward 160 knots displayed in flashing amber and with a high-altitude endorsement could hop in! The RH power lever by a handle on the other hand, is released by handle... Avanti created quite a splash with its 1990 certification in the United States the flare required very... The Flint, MI and the elevator incident on a prospective partner so you do n't get stuck paying the... Fudging pilot hours so they would be legal is scary headed to Genoa some.
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