Updated glass cockpit to be installed in all future versions of Italian twin turboprop
Italian business aircraft manufacturer Piaggio Aero Industries has gained certification for the updated, integrated flightdeck, Avanti II version of its P180 twin turboprop in time for the US National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) annual convention.
The Avanti II features the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 integrated avionics suite. Piaggio received approval for the modification from Italian airworthiness authority ENAC on behalf of the European Aviation Safety Agency.
The prototype has undergone 100h of flight tests and 50h of ground tests at Piaggio’s facilities in Genoa. The final aircraft with the current Collins EFIS-85 cockpit was delivered this month and all aircraft from serial number 105 will be fitted with the new integrated flightdeck, says Massimo Isidori, Piaggio senior vice-president commercial for the P180.
The company expects US Federal Aviation Administration approval “within days”. This will enable Piaggio to meet its goal of displaying a fully certificated aircraft at next month’s NBAA convention in Orlando, Florida. The Avanti II is marginally more expensive than the original Avanti, at $6.2 million in 2005 dollars compared with $6 million. Piaggio has a backlog of 70 orders and is expecting to pick up additional sales at NBAA. “The combined effect of a certificated aircraft, the 100th aircraft delivery and five years of Piaggio in America will certainly have a positive effect on sales,” says Tom Appleton, chief executive of Piaggio America.
The Pro Line 21 integrated avionics suite for the Avanti P180 features three 250 x 200mm (10 x 8in) liquid crystal displays and includes the FMS-3000 flight management system and the GPS-4000A navigation system.
JUSTIN WASTNAGE/GENOA
Source: Flight International
