On Saturday, fractional provider Avantair grounded its entire fleet of about 60 Piaggio Avanti twin turboprops to conduct a comprehensive examination of all Both crews included experienced professionals that could have easily been flying somewhere else. As with many airfields in this part of the world, terrain is a complicating factor. Acceleration feels fast, but steering through the rudders is positive and smooth, though it requires an easy touch to avoid darting about. The one posted under SEC filings on www.avantair.com shows a sentence between the last and next to last sentences that is missing from your release. Access to the cabin is straightforward, the upper two-thirds of the door on the port side, just behind the flight deck, opens toward the nose of the aircraft, and a gust lock keeps it flush to the side of the fuselage. 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. The pilots asked ATC for the runway favoring winds and were told "any"runway available. Grant handled the radio tuning. To demonstrate the low-speed aileron control, Lorenzo then pulled back to the buffet and effortlessly rolled on 80 degrees of bank and then recovered to level flight. While the forward wing is not fitted with an elevator, it does have a flap, or set of flaps, depending on how you look at it. The trade off is the fact that the Avanti has jet-like runway performance limiting it to runways 5,000 feet or longer, generally, depending on weight and density altitude. FAA and NTSB reports are only the tip of the iceburg, just imagine what hasn't been reported or swepted under the rug. No nose was visible ahead, but down and to the right from my seat I could see the tip of the forward wing and the shapely winglet was at my four oclock. The external baggage area is not pressurized. But as soon as Lorenzo released the back pressure and added power, the aircraft recovered and we were flying at 140 knots. Because of the rake angle of the windshield, the glareshield is very deep and provides a perspective unique to the Avanti. The Avanti is has been around since 1990, providing the luxury of a jet with the versatility of a turbo prop. 79 dated 17 Where did you get this press release? It was spot on. So last saturday I was scheduled to fly from Dallas to Las Vegas at noon. No sooner had we done this, when Villi took control, performed an airshow-style liftoff, and turned to clear the runway for the next aircraft. The EVO is the latest variant, which hosts a variety of new The problem is that management is a little delusional about the extent of the problem here. Today's grounding is the 4th time in 2 weeks they have grounded the fleet, but the previous times they had slowly returned airplanes to service. At 10:21:49, there was 1000 feet of vertical separation and 0.9 nautical miles of lateral separation between the two aircraft. Best for: Superior speed When Italys leading aerospace manufacturing company released the Piaggio Avanti EVO, they delivered on three key business demands: speed, comfort, and cost-effectiveness.Piaggio Aerospace blended the very best in Italian design with superb craftsmanship to create a high-performance aircraft that not only turns A most serious maintenance error especially since the elevator installation work would have required a RII type (double) inspection. Shortly before departure, Villi advised me that the autopilot function of the APS-300 flight guidance system was not available. Mandarin.. Advertising of any kind is not allowed in our comments section. Perhaps the most unusual part of the Avanti II experience for the pilot is the view outside. This airframe, T7-ASG, SN3007 was the first Avanti to be produced at the new manufacturing facility in Villanova DAlbenga, one year after production was moved from Genoa. Avantairs demise, parts scarcity, and maintenance headaches combine to make P180 ownership a challenge. Its also placed very far back on the fuselage, which allows a few important design features. Be sure to repair any leaky faucets or toilets. The second engine was started and after-start checks completed. Taking back control as we lined up, Villi held the brakes using the top of the toe pedals, advanced the power levers to 97.6 percent, and we accelerated briskly to 120 knots. 2023 Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Air Force looks toward automation with Reliable Robotics, Boeing, NASA to develop sustainable airliner. However, the pilot did not report any pre-accident mechanical malfunction or anomaly with the airplane that may have precluded normal operation. So we planned to visually line up with the runway on short final. Both flights continued to their destinations without further incident. My friend, the Captain, requested the FO remain with the passengers, who continued their verbal tirade as the Captain DID complete a postflight, although abbreviated under duress. Willing to purchase them from you. Taxiing feels conventional, though its accomplished using an electrically actuated, hydraulically powered nosewheel steering system. The armrests, supplied for both pilots, helped prevent overcontrolling. This story is already out of date, as of today, 10/25/12, the entire is fleet is grounded for the foreseeable future. AOPA Members DO more LEARN more SAVE more - Get MORE out of being a pilot -. P180 Avanti Pitot and Static System. 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. 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 anhedral of the forward wing ensures there is no aerodynamic interference with the engine intakes and assists in stall handling. Then there are the issues with inflight engine shutdowns that happen way early of the engine manufacture time frames. Copyright 2023 Flying Media. Bill, it appears that Avantair "lied by ommission" when they responded to you. pilots. Yes, the Captain was terminated and we lost a good pilot. These were retracted as we accelerated toward 160 knots. Oh, and "coincidentally" perhaps, I got an email request for some documents that they were missing from my file yesterday, which I sent over. Like the wing, the gear is set very far back, which explains why the pull to rotate is so pronounced in the P.180. Ill let Peter Garrison work out both the semantics and aerodynamics of the question (if those two disciplines would differ on the subject). 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. .intend to return to the 121 world. The original $5.00 stock traded at .11 cents today, a loss of 98% of its value. While it may be certified to fly with one pilot most P180s are crewed by two. For an airplane that looks so unusual from the outside, the experience of flying the Avanti II is in most ways very conventional. Merry Christmas, kool-aid drinkers. I'm not saying that maintenance or pilots did not make mistakes, but it helps to know the entire story before a rush to judgement. Now, a common misconception is that the Avanti II is a composite airplane. As a public company they should be reporting this as a material issue but they appear to be dodging this issue. 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. The owners got into another Piaggio and flew again. WebThe Piaggio P180 Avanti II twin-engine turboprop business aircraft is the successor to the P180 Avanti, of which more than 100 have been produced since its entry into service in But it was not his fault that it. From the beginning, Piaggio Aero intended the Avanti to be a turboprop that played in the same niche as light jets but with better economy and a larger cabin. Comments since yesterday, Oct. 25, seem oblivious to the safety of flight issues. 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 he has never had to make more than one fuel stop going from any one point in the continental United States to another. Max range / 1,470 nm. Todays airplane has the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics suite, with all the bells and whistles. 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. If not, we hope that you find safe, efficient, and cost-effective travel options in the future. Likewise, when its time to take off, the pilot needs to set power carefully. As we tracked toward this point, Lorenzo handed me back control for the last approach. If materials were a conservative approach, configuration was not. Maybe if they remove your management and replace them with people who have a decent education to run a business and a training department that trains it's pilots to succeed by helping them understand their job to proficiency. Because there is no overhead panel, I had sufficient head room to allow me to clumsily maneuver myself into position. Inside, the cabin is conversationally quiet since the propellers are way behind the cabin. 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. So to say that all is negative is wildly incorrect. You need to check your facts pal, they offered voluntary leaves to avoid furlough up until recently a handful of people have been fired for the slightest error in judgement. The surface, which like the tail has a considerable amount of anhedral, is ice-protected, as is the windshield, by electric heat. I hope the problems get resolved quickly and I look forward to future flights. The shape, youll see, is not simply for show, though ironically it shows very nicely. By this I mean the Evo turns through the same number of degrees as your feet move on the pedals until you put in a sustained input when the full nosewheel deflection of 50 degrees is felt and the turning circle feels extremely nimble and asymmetric braking is not needed. Piaggios appearance at the Singapore Airshow in February lifted hopes somewhat that the design can survive. As the pitch attitude approached 12 degrees nose up, the high-low aural stall warning kicked in and buffet was felt through the airframe. Now, on to the rumors about the FAA pulling Avantairs certificate. Have been looking everywhere for these. Slightly heavy control forces in roll assisted me in flying this accurately. The wings are held level easily with aileron and a squeeze of rudder. That all changed in 2003 when Avantair put the design thoroughly on the map in the United States as a successful fractional-ownership provider of Avantis. Companies in trouble do this to avoid the panic of "furlough" status. When we resume operations, we will have the most reliable fleet in our industry embracing the highest standards in aviation, said Mr. Santo. The windshield is deep and sharply raked back, which along with the ventral delta fins, perhaps alludes to the shared Learjet origin from the 1980s. Ive removed Kyles email address above since this is not a pilot placement service, and Ive also deleted a charter companys post trolling for business from Avantair customers. The flare required is very small, just enough to cushion the touchdown, so the nose drops very quickly to the runway. 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. No furloughs or termination?? One smart thing I did do was I bought my share as a resale thru a vendor and paid a whole lot less then I would have if I bought straight from Avantair. It pulled the concept off. The seats are finished in black leather with the owners initials embossed into the headrest and with a cabin height of 5.74 ft, it is comfortable to move around the full length. The cabin provides a comfortable and quiet ride for passengers. The other huge advantage of the configuration is that it opens up the fuselage, allowing a cabin that is closer to that of midsize jets than light jets. Ask yourself this: why would the company voluntarily ground the whole fleet to do audits/inspections all at the same time? The approach speeds are very fast by turboprop standards. Yes, the Captain, a mere mortal and an infallible being, DID miss the elevator on his post flight inspection. To begin, VNR has been a great place to work for many furloughed and retired former airline pilots. 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. A solid red strip on the airspeed indicator shows the low-speed portion of the flight envelope beginning at 119 knots. The Avanti II, I should probably mention, is a single-pilot airplane; it doesnt need a crew. Vref lists the value of a 1990 P180 at $846,600 ranging up to $6.1 million for a 2019 Avanti Evo. Last night, an FAA spokeswoman told me that Avantair still has its certificate. Pilatus PC-12 or Piaggio P.180 Checklist? 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. 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