Piaggio Aero

The future fate of the Avanti Evo twin turboprop is in doubt following the insolvency of Italy’s Piaggio Aerospace. The company, controlled by Abu Dhabi-based investment firm Mubadala, declared bankruptcy on November 22 following slow sales of the Avanti Evo and the UAV version of the aircraft, the P.1HH. About 1,200 people are employed by […]

I used up my entire allotment of blunders for the year in our July issue, where 1) I incorrectly referred to a Robertson STOL conversion as Robinson; 2) I said that the small forward lifting surfaces on the Robertson Wren 460 (a modified Cessna 182) were nicknamed “Wren’s teeth,” when in fact that name applied […]

Italian aircraft manufacturer Piaggio rolled out its Multirole Patrol Aircraft (MPA) today at the company’s headquarters in Genoa. The MPA was developed with Abu Dhabi Autonomous System Investments (ADASI) and is compatible with the unmanned HammerHead system. A modified version of the P.180 Avanti twin-pusher turboprop, the MPA has a 50-percent wider wingspan, 35-percent larger […]

The first Piaggio Avanti Evo is flying with its new owner four months after the twin pusher turboprop received its type certification. Piaggio Aerospace delivered the airplane to an unnamed Greek customer that plans to use it for charter. Five more Avanti Evos are due for deliveries before then end of the year to customers […]

Piaggio Aerospace officially opened a sprawling new factory in Villanova d’Albenga, Italy, today, where the recently restructured company is moving all its aircraft production. The maker of the Avanti Evo pusher twin recently changed its name from Piaggio Aero Industries to Piaggio Aerospace and announced a company-wide reorganization splitting the manufacturer into three units, one […]

At its press conference today at the NBAA Convention in Orlando, Florida, Piaggio unveiled not only a new logo, but also a new name. Rebranded as Piaggio Aerospace, the company will operate three business units. In addition to its business aviation segment, which includes the recently announced Piaggio Evo, the company will expand into engines, […]

Piaggio Aero Industries, the maker of the uniquely shaped P.180 Avanti, announced major modifications to the twin-turboprop pusher, creating a new model named the Avanti Evo. With several aerodynamic modifications to the airplane, the Evo promises significant performance improvements translating into a 17 percent range increase, which allows the Evo to travel as far as […]

A preliminary report filed by the NTSB indicates that a Piaggio P.180 operated by Avantair flew two legs while missing the left side of its elevator. According to the report, the twin-engine pusher turboprop departed Camarillo, California, on July 28, flew to San Diego to pick up two passengers and then continued to Henderson Executive […]

In attempting to understand the Piaggio P.180 Avanti II, you need to begin by forgetting everything you thought you knew about turboprop-powered airplanes. The idea behind the Avanti has always been remarkably simple and completely outside the turboprop box. Think of the Avanti II as a jet with props and you’ll be close to the […]

A ** Piaggio** Avanti P-180 twin turboprop operated by fractional provider Avantair was destroyed while attempting an emergency landing in Flint, Michigan, on Wednesday when the airplane veered off the runway on touchdown and flipped over, causing minor injuries to the four people on board. The Avanti was en route from Detroit to West Bend, […]