Piaggio P.180 Avanti

History of Piaggio p. 180 Avanti

Piaggio P. 180 Avanti of Italian origin serves a niche of the global market albeit potentially lucrative as executive/VIP passenger transport. It was designed by Alessandro Mazzoni to compete with jet business jets around the world by relying on twin-turboprop engine configurations - which are arranged as "propellers" and pointed at the plane tail. The first flight was recorded on September 23, 1986, and the series introduction began on September 30, 1990. In production since 1986, a total of 220 have been built for various customers in Bulgaria, Canada, Italy, Poland.

Russia and the United Arab Emirates. It has also attracted some interest at the military level (the UAE uses two as part of its Air Force inventory) and has been developed as the P.1HH "Hammerhead" (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) unmanned ISR unmanned aerial system.

A brief history of Piaggio

Piaggio Aerospace dates back to the company founded by Rinaldo Piaggio in 1884 and was an important player in the aviation industry of the Kingdom of Italy during World War II (1939-1945). It successfully survived the devastation of the Italian war machine after World War II and survived the Cold War into the modern era, and it now focuses on civilian and commercial market products such as the P.180. [ /p]

The financial boom of the 1980s pushed aircraft manufacturers to meet a growing market demand for elegant and fast VIP transportation. Back in 1979, engineers at Piaggio began the design studies that led to the Avanti. This work continued until 1981, and a patent for the unique design was granted in 1982. It then continued to develop the physical construction of various aircraft components, culminating in a prototype in 1986.

Then the maiden flight took place. However, it was not approved for the civilian market until 1990. The plan was delayed in 1994 when Avanti Aviation ran into financial problems at its U.S. branch in Wichita, prompting Ferrari to come to the rescue in 1998.

Since then, the Avanti line has been more or less safe.

Tour of page 180

The P-180 has a completely unique look for VIP transport: its nose tip is nicely angled forward of the cockpit, providing excellent visibility for the crew. There is a small front wing on the nose, giving the plane a three-plane configuration.

The relatively short, stout fuselage with tapered ends adds a futuristic feel to this compact business jet. The central wing main plane is located aft of the midship, including the truncated plane, and the engine nacelles extend from the front of the leading edge to the trailing edge. The nacelle is streamlined for aerodynamic efficiency, and the engines are arranged in a thrust configuration that drives the multi-bladed propeller units. The tail consists of a T-shaped (multi-hop tail) unit that sits horizontally on top of a single vertical fin. Triangular fins near the belly are accompanied by a rear wing for added stability.

The tricycle chassis is used for ground operation.

Inside Avanti

The cockpit provides space for two pilots side by side. The front panel is controlled by three large multi-color display units showing relevant task status and performance figures. Each seating position has a traditional yoke post with easy-to-reach thumb controls.

The throttle quadrant is located between the two positions and is shared by each crew member. There are two large windows in front of the cockpit for excellent visibility. The downward sloping nature of the nose cone accentuates vision, especially when looking down.

For passengers, there is a nave seating area with toilet and kitchen. Round windows offer views outside the hull, and access is through a rectangular access door along the port side of the hull (just behind the cockpit).

Variants of the Avanti series

The first series model is simply referred to as "Avanti" on page 180. The P. 180M appeared in a militarized form and featured a hull that could be modified to carry passengers or light cargo. The P. 180RM is designed for radio calibration and the P. 180AMB is designed to act as an air ambulance. The P. 180APH is another Avanti platform dedicated to aerial mapping. The P.180 "Avanti II" is a state-of-the-art update to the original P.180 with better avionics and improved engine performance.

This form received civil approval in 2005. The Avanti II-based P.180MPA (described in detail elsewhere on this site) is a military market form for maritime patrols. An upgraded PWC turboprop was used to improve performance, and a five-blade (Hartzell) propeller completed the design.

Saab provided the electronics and Rockwell Collins provided the avionics suite.

The P. 180 Avanti EVO is the Avanti line of products currently on sale. It has a crew of one or two and can accommodate seven to nine passengers. Curb weight is 8,375 lbs and MTOW is 12,100 lbs. Power comes from 2 x Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-66B turboprops rated at 850 hp.

Top speed is 460 mph and cruising speed is 365 mph. Range up to 1,530 miles (ferry) with service capped at 41,000 feet. The P.180 is known as the fastest turboprop-powered business jet, with performance comparable to some jets.

It's said to run quieter and more efficient than its jet-powered sibling - certainly putting it ahead of the rest. Avanti made a cheap trip to the U.S. coast in less than four hours (official time 3:51).

Unmanned P. 1HH Hammer

As mentioned above, the P. 1HH "Hammer" (detailed elsewhere on this page) is a UAV version of the P. 180 Avanti II airframe and is in development. It is designed to carry munitions for attack missions, but can also undertake reconnaissance and intelligence/reconnaissance missions. The system was publicly unveiled at the 2013 Paris Air Show in December 2013, and the first flight took place in December 2013. The launch customer appears to be the Italian Air Force, which has contracted for three. The UAE has ordered eight.

The program suffered a major setback in May 2016, when the only prototype crashed during testing. A second prototype followed in July 2017.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Royal Aircraft Factory B. E. 2 History

The Royal Aircraft Factory B. E. 2 was born through the Royal Balloon Factory (RBF) establishment which was itself arranged to further British research into aircraft. Additionally, its personnel were also on hand to enact repairs to Royal Flying Corps (RFC) aircraft when called upon though this did not stop participants from endeavoring to build all-new aircraft designs under the guise of research and such work ultimately provided the evolution of the B. E. 2. Its designation "B.

E. " stemmed from the words "Bleriot Experimental" (the RBF rebuilt or repaired many French-originated "Bleriot" and "Voison" aircraft from 1909 to 1913).

It would be famous aviation engineer Geoffrey de Havilland that would lend his talents to the design of the B. E. 2. Mr. de Havilland served at the RBF as a chief designer prior to striking out on his own. He played a major role in the design of many of AirCo's products during World War 1 (1914-1918) and ultimately established the de Havilland Aircraft Company in the post-war years during 1920. His greatest claim to aviation fame went on to become the storied DH.

98 "Mosquito" - a fast, multirole performer of World War 2 (1939-1945).

Unarmed and generally slow, the B. E. 2 did not fare well when set over territories near enemy activity and the series proved machine gun fodder to the new generation of German fighter - the Fokker "Eindecker" monoplane of 1915. Regardless, the RFC continued in its large scale frontline use of the B. E. 2 for a good portion of the war. It was only when the Allies reclaimed air superiority from the Germans - ending the dreaded "Fokker Scourge" period - that the vulnerabilities of the B. E. 2 were overshadowed to an extent. During 1915, the B. E. 2 (B.

E. 2c) was made to service the night fighter role as a single-seat interceptor granted extra fuel stores, an angled Lewis machine gun, and hand-dropped ordnance to be used against German Zeppelins over England. In this way, the B. E. 2 became one of the earliest airframes to fulfill the dedicated night fighting role.

By the end of 1917, the B. E. 2 aircraft line was being replaced by more capable types in service. As was the case with most outmoded systems, the B. E. 2 continued in service as a trainer for incoming airmen and as maritime patrol mounts to combat the German U-Boat threat.

The series managed a still-useful existence into the post war years for it was not formally retired until 1919. A sole B. E. 2 made up one-half the inventory of two aircraft for newly founded Quantas of Australia - the Australian Flying Corps (AFC) was another wartime operator of the B. E. 2.

Other operators of the useful biplane became Belgium, Estonia, Greece (Navy), the Netherlands (sole example), Norway, South Africa, and the United States (with the American Expeditionary Force - AEF).

The aircraft - in particular the B. E. 2e - was known as "Quirk" by British pilots due to its unlikable qualities by 1917.

Royal Aircraft Factory B. E. 2 Specification

BASICS

MANUFACTURING

ROLES

DIMENSIONS

WEIGHTS

POWER

PERFORMANCE