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Piaggio to Launch Avanti II
Piaggio America, Inc. will this week announce the P.180 Avanti II, a $5.97 million upgraded variant of the high-speed twin-turboprop that first flew in September 1986. First flight of this next-generation Avanti is imminent in Italy, and certification is expected by mid-2005.
Among the enhancements to the Avanti II will be the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics package, which includes three 8 x 10-inch Active Matrix Liquid Crystal Displays (AMLCD); maximum takeoff weight increased from 11,550 pounds to 12,000 pounds; and increased maximum zero-fuel weight from 9,000 pounds to 9,800 pounds. At the new MZFW, there would be 1,800 pounds of crew and passengers allowed—one pilot plus seven passengers and 100 pounds of baggage, the company estimates.
The increased MTOW allows for the carriage of 500 pounds of additional fuel—approximately one hour of extra flight time with a full passenger load, Piaggio claims. The follow-on aircraft will also include as-yet-unspecified enhancements that may be retrofittable to the current 2004 production model, which is priced at $5.35 million.
In an era of high fuel costs, Piaggio hopes the seven-seat Avanti II will further pique the interest of corporate flight departments. "The Avanti is now being considered by several flight departments which see the advantage of having an aircraft with jet performance at turboprop costs," said Tom Appleton, president and CEO of Piaggio America, a division of Genoa-based Piaggio Aero Industries SpA. "When the Avanti burns 30 percent to 40 percent less fuel than similarly sized jets, it can't be ignored."
Appleton, the former president of Bombardier Aerospace's Amphibious Aircraft Division, updated ShowNews on sales, orders, increased production rates for the Avanti I and II and the reason for moving the U.S. headquarters to Palm Beach, Fla., from Greenville, S.C.
Appleton said Palm Beach is home to a great number of business aircraft and individuals with the financial wherewithal to purchase one. The growth potential and attractive leasing package offered by Jet Aviation also were factors, he added. In addition, the new headquarters has ample space to house a badly needed full-flight P.180 simulator, which is being built by FlightSafety International's Tulsa, Okla., division.
"Quite spectacular" was how Appleton described sales for the current production model. In total, Piaggio has delivered 45 Avantis to U.S. and Canadian customers, and 35 internationally. The 46 Avantis sold since last year's NBAA Convention are slated for delivery over the next 30 months, approximately.
Piaggio has some 1.4 million square feet of manufacturing and office space in Genoa, where a backlog of around 55 Avantis for delivery through the first quarter of 2007 has compelled the company to increase the production rate to 36 per year by 2007 from the 16 projected for manufacture in 2004. "Green" aircraft currently are ferried to the United States for completion by Greenville-based Stevens Aviation, but that could change once the production rate has increased and Piaggio America has settled in with its lessor, said Appleton. In all likelihood, Jet Aviation could become the second, perhaps principal, completion center, he intimated.
Meanwhile, Piaggio's biggest customer to date, Avantair, a Fairfield, N.J., fractional firm, has taken delivery of its 13th of 29 Avantis it has on order. Avantair is one of the fastest growing fractionals, according to Wichita-based aviation research company AvData Inc.
Piaggio Aero Industries president, Piero Ferrari, and CEO, Jose Di Mase, will attend the NBAA Convention. Piaggio America is at Booth 1233 here.
—Robert W. Moorman
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