| P180 Avanti | |
|---|---|
| Role | Executive transport |
| Manufacturer | Piaggio Aero |
| First flight | 26 September 1986 |
| Primary users | Italian Armed Force Avantair |
| Number built | 216 delivered to November 2011 [1] |
| Unit cost | US$ 7 million [2] |
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 uses a small forward wing, and a main wing combination that places the wing spars outside of the passenger cabin area. Although the front wing resembles a canard configuration, a conventional tail provides stability. It features a lifting laminar flow fuselage and has engines in pusher configuration.[3]
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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.[4] U.S. and Italian certification was obtained on 7 March 1990.[5] 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.[6]
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.
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 Ohio State University's Aeronautical and Astronautical Research Laboratory 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.[7] A Flight International article stated:"Piaggio says low-drag laminar flow is maintained to around 50% of wing chord, compared with around 20-25% for conventional tractor turboprops where propeller wash disturbs the airflow over the wing", ". . specific air range at high altitude is 3.4km/kg (0.84nm/lb) compared with around 2km/kg (0.49nm/lb) for current jets or 2.7km/kg (0.67nm/lb) for other turboprops". " . . the Avanti offers jet-like performance: a cruise ceiling of 41,000ft (12,500m), a maximum operating speed of 260kt (480km/h) indicated/Mach 0.7; a maximum cruise speed of 398kt true". "The Avanti has no direct turboprop competitors, its closest jet rivals are the Raytheon Premier I and Cessna Citation CJ2+."[8]
Due to the rear location of the propeller disks and engine exhausts, the interior noise is lower than conventional turboprop aircraft. However, due to the strongly disturbed flow in which the pusher propellers operate, the exterior noise is higher than standard turboprops. The higher exterior noise level and its higher pitch has been shown to be primarily from the interaction of the turbine engine exhaust flows and the pusher props (est. +9 dB), and the reduction of external noise is an active research topic at Piaggio.[9] On take off, the Avanti has been measured at 81.9 dBA, below FAA stage 3 noise limits which set a maximum of 89 EPNdB for take off,[10] and quieter than many piston and jet aircraft.[11] However, the P180 has been the subject of noise complaints at airports such as Naples Municipal Airport, Florida, where the airport authority determined it was the nosiest aircraft using that facility.[12] Alan Parker, chairman of the Naples Municipal Airport Authority's technical committee, described the Avanti as "irritating loud" and compared the high pitched sound "to fingernails on a chalk board".[13]
Data from Brassey's World Aircraft & Systems Directory 1999-2000 [20]
General characteristics
Performance
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