The cabin, interestingly, isnt symmetrical; its a little cozier up front than in back. One thats lacking is the single FMS. This action is voluntary and involves the temporary stand-down of [our] aircraft, Avantair said in a statement. All this is combined with remarkable versatility, which makes the P180 Avanti II one of the most widely used aircraft in public services such as air ambulance and air rescue missions, law enforce-ment, and flight inspections that ensure the safety of people and property. Thanks guys, WebAs the factory-authorized training provider for Piaggio Aeros P.180 Avanti, Avanti II and Avanti EVO models, FlightSafety has created in-depth, type-specific programs to ensure that pilots and maintenance technicians of Piaggio Aero aircraft are equipped with the latest in safety training. It is not, at least not primarily. Chad, If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can. I flew with him last month. I have only been an owner for a short time but the flights I have taken have been flawless;The pilots seemed happy and very professional. With fully reversionary flat-screen displays with a host of safety utilities, including TCAS, TAWS, satellite weather and more, the avionics suite is top-notch, and Piaggio Aero has been working with Rockwell Collins since the introduction of the Avanti II to add upgrades as they became available. At 10:30 I was contacted and told that my flight had been cancelled, and that they would be looking at both charter and commercial flights at their expense. Other parts, mainly fairings and the like, are composite, but for the most part, Piaggio Aeros Avanti II is a sheet metal airplane. The Avanti II's efficiencies can reduce operating costs by as much as 40 percent, according to Bingham. It pulled the concept off. There are ten wholly owned Avanti EVOs in operation worldwide, according to JETNET. Unlike what I think of as a canard, in the Avanti the elevator is back on the tail and the ailerons are on the trailing edge of the wing, along with some very serious flaps, which are designed to deploy slowly so as not to cause a dramatic pitch change they succeed at that, by the way. 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. Of course we do. The lower section, containing two integral carpeted steps, is released by a handle on the left and lowered into position. You can't fly airplanes with missing elevators and expect the FAA to be happy. 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. 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. Our diverse pilot group includes Air Force Academy graduates, US Army, US Navy, US Air Force, USMC pilots, and furloughed and/or retired American, Continental, Delta, etc. If this had happened at a big passenger airline, they would have been lauded for getting the aircraft to the runway. Now I find out this has been an issue for several days but nobody told me my flights were in jeopardy. Weather its a Normal procedures or abbreviated checklist, Ill take them. When we resume operations, we will have the most reliable fleet in our industry embracing the highest standards in aviation, said Mr. Santo. Yes, the Captain, a mere mortal and an infallible being, DID miss the elevator on his post flight inspection. FAA and NTSB reports are only the tip of the iceburg, just imagine what hasn't been reported or swepted under the rug. The surface, which like the tail has a considerable amount of anhedral, is ice-protected, as is the windshield, by electric heat. I had a few seconds to get the feel of the Evo in the landing configuration before I was flaring for touchdown and gradually closing the power levers. This is a place worth fighting for and we will hope for the best. 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. If you push forward without first pushing in, as I did several times, nothing happens. Flying the Avanti II In fact, Avantair hired and added airplanes during the Great Recession. The use of alloys instead of composites was a purposeful choice for Piaggio Aero, which certified the airplane more than 20 years ago at a time when there were few successful composite models and sheet metal seemed to augur a shorter approval program than plastics did. We took up a westerly heading for our return to Villanova. Grant has been flying the Avanti for years with thousands of hours of experience in the airplane, much of it under typical charterlike conditions. To demonstrate the first stall, Villi leveled at 15,000 feet, and with the power levers remaining closed, we decelerated at 1.5 knots per second as shown by the purple trend vector on the PFD airspeed strip. Piaggio P.180 AFM TC No. These inspections and other actions are still underway. New eVTOL Aircraft Set to Co-exist Alongside Helicopters, Safran Signals 'War for Talent' within Civil Engine Aftermarket, Newly Certified HAL 228 Variant Attracts Indian Lessor, Vision Systems Brings Dimmable-window Solutions to Heli-Expo, Cessna Citation II: The 'Family Truckster', Training Providers Gear Up for AAM Market, A modest proposal to boost general aviation, FAA Should Use Its Nuclear Option To Save Americas Airports, Analyzing the GAMA 1Q10 aircraft delivery numbers, Mid-Year Aerospace & Air Transport Report. I'm a fractional owner and the first I heard about this fleet grounding was 11pm last night when I got an email from owner services saying my flights for this morning at 9am and return tomorrow were cancelled. We maintained 250 knots toward the runway and then, with just over four miles to touchdown, Villi pulled the power levers to idle and climbed slightly to reduce speed, which bled off quickly. 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. Villi selected the Rockwell Collins RTA-800 weather radar on his nav display via the display control panel down the side of the PFD, to monitor a cell just inland. That said, they never even sent me a quote, which I got elsewhere for a king air (and a Lear 55, I am taking the King Air). So as fast as it is at cruise, its block times suffer as a result of the climb speed and relatively low Vmo (260 indicated) and Mmo (Mach 0.70) limitations. I still can't believe they are not making this issue public. P180 Avanti Ice and Rain Protection. The anhedral of the forward wing ensures there is no aerodynamic interference with the engine intakes and assists in stall handling. Theoretically, a newly minted multiengine pilot with a high-altitude endorsement could hop right in and go flying. | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Content Policy. 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. 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. 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.". P180 Avanti Hydraulic. The shape, youll see, is not simply for show, though ironically it shows very nicely. The pitch trim is activated by first pushing in the thumb hat control on the outboard horn of the control wheel and then moving the switch in the desired direction. Safety is Avantairs top priority. PT6A-66(B) These actions are part of an overall strategic enhancement of the companys maintenance and operations, designed to raise Avantair to the highest levels of standards and safety.. The difference between the two, they say, is that the forward wing, while a lifting surface, is not a controllable one. In a jet this would have resulted in a go-around from 10 miles out. Pilots are being pushed to the extreme limits of duty time and rest and general morale simply could not be lower company-wide. Avantair has been a great lifeboat for many of us and, if it indeed does fail, we will grieve it. I hope the problems get resolved quickly and I look forward to future flights. A fully independent backup navigator can be installed as an option. The flare required is very small, just enough to cushion the touchdown, so the nose drops very quickly to the runway. This story is already out of date, as of today, 10/25/12, the entire is fleet is grounded for the foreseeable future. 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. Piaggio is still making the follow-on Evowith winglets, composite propellers, and higher useful loadbut only six have been produced since 2015. Sounds like they are on life support and being read their last rights. The cabin provides a comfortable and quiet ride for passengers. I selected terrain on my PFD to map the coastline. Fortunately that was in 2007 and we sold it right before the crash. P180 Avanti Special Cabin Configurations. Now, to the flight deck and our seats. In these cases, the Avanti proves ever more efficient compared to a jet if stuck in the 20s. The company simply does not have the capacity to handle the demand and corners have been seriously cut to try to cover that demand with inadequate resources. Todays airplane has the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics suite, with all the bells and whistles. Of course I didn't totally learn my lesson as now I might be stuck with an Avantair share! For private owners, charter customers and fractional owners, the big cabin is a major selling point. chrisallegro January 15, 2010, 6:21pm #1. He's been flying for 10 years and is available for piaggio owners You fly final at around 120 knots; when you pull back on the power as you land, the nose rises slightly, the mains touch, and you relax back pressure and prepare to get stopped, a job that is greatly aided by big carbon brakes and extremely effective prop braking. That said both the plane and the company have been reliable for me for about 7 years. The crew arrived at the intermediate airport and quickly boarded the two waiting passengers.Theydid not perform an adequate preflight inspection and departed about 5 minutes behind schedule. To begin, VNR has been a great place to work for many furloughed and retired former airline pilots. 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. You know get them off the insurance roll. I can't speak for the maintenance personnel involved in this, but I know that the pilot and co-pilot were both fired for failure to perform a pre-flight check. The effect is a view that changes substantially as you point the nose up or down in various phases of flight. The foreplane is essentially a portion of the wing moved to the front to allow the main wing to be moved further aft in order to create a larger cabin. Anyone have any or both of these checkists? In flight, the Avanti handles much like its competition, but the jet-like takeoff and landing speeds, lack of FADEC, narrow gear track, twitchy electric steering, and grabby carbon brakes combine to make the airplane more of a handful than your run-of-the-mill King Air or Cessna Conquest. RMR, if you are in Vegas, have you looked at AirSprint as an alternative? The Avanti II does indeed have a big cabin, the best in its class by far, and it also has good speed and range, and best-in-class fuel efficiency. In fact, Avantair late last year took possession of the 100th Avanti delivered in the United States, which has been far and away the models best market. 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. We are grateful for their understanding and patience as we work through this important process. 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