PIAGGIO AVANTI EVO SCRIPT
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and lead a real country during World War 3. Initially established in 1882
to produce locomotives and railroad carriages, Piaggio shifted its focus to
aircraft production near the end of World War One. After WWII ended, Piaggio refocused on its most
well-known product, the Vespa scooter, in response to the public's demand for inexpensive
transportation. Piaggio, a company best known for its scooters and
motorcycles, also has a long history of aircraft manufacturing, and in the
late 1970s, the company came up with the idea of producing a twin-engine
business jet with a distinctive appearance. The plane's engines are situated in a pusher
configuration, making it stand out from the crowd. Although airplanes with tractor configurations
are the norm, the improved engine installation possible with pusher propellers is largely
attributable to the latter's intake design. It has a pressurized cabin that can seat nine
people and may be flown by a single pilot. On September 23, 1986, the first
flight of the Piaggio P.180 Avanti prototype took place, and on March
7, 1990, the aircraft was given Italian airworthiness certification.
It was also certified in the United States, which Piaggio saw as the plane's most
important market, in October of that year. Airplane fuselages were initially
built in Wichita, Kansas, and then shipped to Italy for final assembly.
Before a group of investors led by Piero Ferrari, vice president of the Ferrari car firm, became
involved in 1998, Piaggio Wichita ran out of money in 1994 and the project languished.
After some financial difficulties, Piaggio got back on track with
its Avanti Evo after the Italian government stepped in, and let us
tell you, it is a thing of BEAUTY! (and it has some of the craziest
systems you’ll see in an airplane, more on that later.)
#1. Design/Exterior Speaking of exterior design, the Avanti Evo stands
out among similar-sized twin turboprops because of its impressive design. What matters is
not that it has a forward lifting surface, but rather how those
parts work together. The forward wing (not to be called a canard, as it
has no moving flight controls other than forward flaps) is located on the underside
of a gracefully curving nose, has two pitot tubes underneath it, and,
unlike Western variants, has pronounced anhedral. Both the ventral delta fins and the sharply raked
back could be references to the shared Learjet heritage of the 1980s. The
upper fuselage rises to a peak slightly ahead of and beyond the leading edge
of the main wing, before sloping downhill to meet the lower fuselage upward curve just below the
trailing edge of the T-tail, which is 13.06 feet above the ramp thanks to
the aggressively swept back horizontal tailplane.
The Evo's distinctive features all have a specific purpose. The forward wing's anhedral prevents
aerodynamic interference with the engine intakes and improves the aircraft's stall performance. A
third of the plane's lift comes from the fuselage's continuous curvature,
which also makes the wing size requirement smaller and reduces drag.
The high aspect ratio main wing is placed behind the rear pressure
bulkhead so that the spar does not pass through the passenger cabin, allowing for a
continuous length of 14.93 ft, and the horizontal stabilizer has a sharp sweepback that prevents the
elevators from being aerodynamically blanked by the wing during a stall.
Most obviously, the winglets and the five-blade, scimitar propellers located behind the main wing's
trailing edge identify this aircraft as Piaggio Aerospace's latest version of
the Avanti, the Evo. The first Avanti to be built when production shifted from
Genoa to the new plant in Villanova D'Albenga was airframe SN3007.
#2. Interior It's easy to get in and out of the cabin; the
upper two-thirds of the door on the port side, just below the
flight deck, opens toward the nose of the aircraft, and a
gust lock maintains it flat to the side of the fuselage. With the pull of a left-side handle, you
can lower the portion with the two carpeted steps built right in.
At first glance, the cabin appears to be incredibly well-made,
with a two-person bench seat located directly opposite the door, a single
sideways-facing seat located on the same side as the door, and four
club-arranged seats leading to a fully private bathroom. The
completely upholstered seat includes a seatbelt and can be used
during takeoff and landing. The Avanti EVO's rear compartment has a volume
of 375ft³, making it large enough to comfortably seat seven adults. With its high-speed
internet and satellite connection, this plane can also function as
a mobile office. The length of the stand-up cabin is 15 feet, and its width is 6 feet 1 inch.
The chairs are upholstered in black leather and include the owner's initials
etched into the headrest; the cabin's ceiling is 5.74 feet in height,
allowing for easy movement along its entire length.
#3. Engine The plane is powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada
PT6A engines driven by two five bladed Hartzell propellers.
The new wide-chord, lightweight propellers constructed
from aluminum alloy are completely feathered, reversible, and hydraulically regulated
to maintain a steady speed. The original 2,000 RPM for the propeller was lowered to 1,800. These
improvements, together with those made to the aerodynamics, nacelle, and engine exhaust
geometry, resulted in a 68%, or 5 dB, decrease in environmental noise. Passenger comfort has been
increased due to a 20% reduction in cabin noise. The new low-maintenance landing gear on the Avanti
Evo consists of a steerable dual-wheel nose gear and two single-wheel main landing gear components.
The main wheels all have carbon brakes that prevent skidding. The planes can take off and land
at secondary airports and small airfields with runways shorter than 1,000m in length
that do not support regular flights. In June 2014, the European Aviation Safety Agency
(EASA) approved Piaggio's Avanti EVO for a larger fuel capacity. Auxiliary tanks
can boost an aircraft's maximum range by 17%, from 1,470 nautical
miles to 1,720 nautical miles, and its fuel capacity from 2,826 lbs.
to 3.226 lbs. It also makes it possible for planes to fly from one coast of the
United States to the other without making any additional fuel
stops. In 2021, however, Piaggio Aerospace revealed a
slew of improvements to the Avanti Evo turboprop twin, including significant
modifications to the aircraft's components and systems, interior, and cargo.
To begin, Parker's new high-power steel braking system has obtained EASA clearance under the
aircraft type certificate, and it is now available for retrofit on
in-service Avantis via a supplemental type certificate (STC).
In addition, the latest generation of Evos makes use of lithium-ion batteries. True Blue Power's
lithium-ion nano phosphate cell chemistry is used in both the primary and
backup batteries, resulting in a greater capacity, greater output voltage
stability, a shorter engine start time, and significant
weight reductions. #4. Performance
The EVO, made on the Italian Riviera at Piaggio's plant, is an
unconventional yet aesthetically pleasing choice for business executives who place equal
importance on image and profits. The company has ties to Ferrari, therefore for
a while they operated an Avanti, which has many benefits including a
large cabin, low fuel consumption, and a range of over 1700 nautical miles.
The EVO no longer has the recognizable roar of the Avanti 2, but there
is a certain allure to going back to the beginning of propulsion. The Piaggio EVO is
the airborne equivalent of an Italian sports car thanks to its sleek design
and impressive performance. The third-generation plane
is the fastest multi-utility turboprop in the world, capable of reaching top
speeds of 402knots (745km/h). The EVO can climb at a pace that is 250 feet per minute faster than its
predecessor, has a range that is almost 200 miles longer (1,530 nautical miles), and consumes 3
percent less fuel. it uses around 40% less fuel than
comparable jets while still flying at high speeds. Business travelers
can choose between a private jet with slightly greater capabilities
and a more expensive turboprop that can do 80-90% of a jet's
work for around half the price. #5. Avionics
The Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics suite in the cockpit
includes a tablet-based electronic flight bag. It has two sets of controls,
four data concentrator units (DCU), a state-of-the-art weather radar, a
traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS 1), and a terrain awareness and warning system (TAWS).
The aircraft satisfies the requirements of both the European Aviation
Safety Agency's CS-23 and the Federal Aviation Administration's Part 23.
#6. Systems For better audio management
and expansion potential, the equipment features an HMI with a color
display, bezel pushbuttons, and programmable softkeys suited to the aircraft's configuration.
Piaggio anticipates that we will soon see the certification of numerous
significant upgrades, including a revised environmental control system (ECS),
cabin pressurization system (CPCS), and new satcom system. The special-purpose Evos will also have
access to a flight inspection system (FIS). The Italian company FIMAC will produce the updated
digitally controlled ECS with two zones. The new system will provide air
conditioning for both the cockpit and the passenger cabin, with the ability
to switch between manual and automatic use. It will also have increased cooling capacity and an
exhaust and scoop design optimized to reduce aerodynamic drag.
With Honeywell's new digitally controlled CPCS, most of the
old static and pneumatic lines have been replaced with electrical harnesses, and the
avionics and flight management systems have been streamlined.
There are three distinct operational modes available
inside the CPCS: auto-schedule, wherein the cabin altitude is automatically
controlled according to a predefined schedule; cabin select, wherein the
cabin height is automatically controlled according to a crew set value; and manual. In addition to
replacing the previous system's capabilities, this new one also adds a Cabin Altitude Warning mode
for longer runways. Honeywell's new Aspire 150 is another great satcom
option coming to the newest EVOs. Utilizing the recently launched fleet of
66 Iridium satellites, this system supports traditional phone conversations,
Wi-Fi, Skype/WhatsApp Audio VoIP calls, and video chats with guaranteed high-performance 700
kbps bit rates and global coverage. The Norwegian Special Mission FIS billed as "the
latest generation and fully automatic," will be installed in the aircraft of the Special Mission.
All CNS components, including on-the-ground navigation aids and inspection procedures, will
be under the pilot's command with this system. #7. Variants
The Piaggio P.180 Avanti is undoubtedly one of the most
extraordinary aircraft ever built. The Italian turboprop may be identified by its twin turboprop
engines situated on the back of the wing in pusher configuration and its small forward wings
located near the nose of the aircraft. Compared to previous
turboprops, it more closely competes with light jets thanks
to its high cruising speed and innovative design.
The original P.180, called the P.180 Avanti, made its debut in
1990 and it had a top speed of 354 knots thanks to its Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-66A
engines. The Avanti was promoted as a turboprop that could also outperform several light and
midsize jets while having up to 40 percent cheaper operational expenses, whilst exhibiting
a serious range of 1,440 miles. Piaggio upgraded to the P.180
Avanti II in 2005, which features more fuel-efficient PT6A-66B engines.
The II has a somewhat slower cruising speed and a range that is roughly 80 nautical miles shorter
(1,360 nautical miles), but it consumes over 20 fewer gallons of fuel per
hour, saving a substantial amount of money in direct
operating costs. A significant improvement over the ProLine II present in
the original Avanti, the Rockwell Collins ProLine 21 avionics system is included in the second
iteration. And then in 2014, Piaggio introduced
the Avanti Evo, and the rest is history. #8. Market
Potential operators of different business turboprops should
pay special attention to the 'Available Payload with Maximum Fuel' when making their
choice. When compared to the Piaggio Avanti EVO (973 lbs) and the King Air 350iER (1,193 lbs),
the King Air 250's 'Available Payload with Maximum Fuel' is quite low at just 115 lbs.
The Beechcraft King Air 250 and 350iER have a narrower cabin width
(4.5 feet) than the Avanti EVO (6.1ft). When compared to the Avanti EVO (5.8ft),
the King Air 250 and 350iER (4.6 ft) are both shorter. The King Air 350iER's
cabin is 19.5 feet long, which is longer than those of the King Air 250
(16.7 feet) and the Avanti EVO (14.9ft). In this comparison, the Avanti EVO's
cabin volume of 393 cu. ft. is larger than that of both the King Air
250 and the King Air 350iER. The King Air 250 and 350iER have more interior
luggage room than the Avanti EVO (60cu.ft. vs 16cu.ft). However, the Avanti EVO has
an additional 44 cu. ft. of external luggage space, while the King
Air 250 and 350iER have none. The King Air 350iER was found to have the longest
range of the bunch (2,271nm) in tests with Wichita, Kansas as the starting point.
With four passengers and full fuel tanks, the Avanti EVO has a
moderate range (1,510nm) while the shortest (1,038nm) is the King Air 250.
When comparing planes in this category, you'll see that they all have two engines made by Pratt &
Whitney Canada. Pratt & Whitney PT6A-52 engines produce 850 horsepower for the King Air 250, while PT6A-60A engines produce 1,050 horsepower
for the King Air 350iER. The average fuel consumption rate of a King Air 250 or
King Air 350iER is 92 gallons per hour. The Avanti EVO, with its two PT6A-66B engines,
has a lower fuel consumption rate (79 GPH) and produces the same amount of
power (850 hp) at a lower cost. When compared to the Beechcraft King Air 250
and King Air 350iER, the Piaggio Avanti EVO turboprop is faster and has more room inside. The
King Air 350iER, while more expensive, has more range and can carry more weight
with the fuel it has on board. The topic of whether a King Air
350iER's longer range and greater payload (when fully fueled) is more
essential than the Avanti EVO's more room and speed is an important
one. The King Air 250 is a less expensive option for highly capable aircraft
for those who do not need the extra features. Airport performance, terminal area
performance, and time-to-climb are a few other key features that
could influence a customer's final decision. Obviously, there are many factors that a buyer
must take into account before settling on the most appropriate performance metrics. So in the end, it
will come down to what you really need from your airplane. But with that said, all of the
aforementioned offer great value for their prices! #9. Pros
The aircraft is now quieter and uses less fuel than previous models, and its service and support
infrastructure has also advanced. With a height of just over 5 feet 9 inches, the luxurious cabin has
plenty of headroom for eight passengers in the VIP section and offers a number of convenient
amenities, including new leather seats by Iacobucci that recline and
rotate 360 degrees, as well as numerous fold-down tables, lighting
controls, and outlets. There is very little noise within the cabin,
and the cabin altitude is only 6,600 feet, so passengers won't feel
much fatigue. And it's lightning fast, to boot!
#10. Cons The EVO is inferior to other models in terms of
range. This is the sole major flaw of the plane. Numerous operators place an emphasis on
range, and the lack thereof is a deal breaker for some.
Conclusion The Piaggio Avanti Evo, nicknamed
"Ferrari of the Sky" is an exceptionally captivating aircraft thanks
to its distinctive appearance and remarkable efficiency gains
relative to comparable turbofan and turbojet-driven aircraft, with
almost no sacrifice in performance. When you take into account all of
the aircraft's features and add in its stunning and distinctive design,
you have a very tempting airplane.
