Piaggio Unveils Next Evo-lution of Avanti Turboprop Twin

Piaggio Aerospace has just announced a host of upgrades for its P.180 Avanti Evo turboprop twin, including several major enhancements to aircraft components and systems, interior, and payload.

To start, a new high-power steel braking system, which is supplied by Parker and already available for retrofit on in-service Avantis through a supplemental type certificate (STC), has just received EASA approval under the aircraft type certificate, with other similar approvals pending. “The integration provides reduced certified landing distances and better reliability, and along with the anti-skid system brings an increased suitability for intense training use, together with lower equipment and maintenance costs,” said Antonio Sollo, chief technical officer and head of design organization at Piaggio Aerospace.

In addition, lithium-ion batteries are available on new-production Evos, according to Sollo. “The main and emergency batteries are manufactured by True Blue Power and use lithium-ion nano phosphate cell chemistry, which provides improved capacity and output voltage stability, together with shorter engine start time, as well as significant weight saving,” he said.

A Becker Avionics digital audio system will also be available soon for factory-new airplanes. “The new equipment implements a modern human machine interface [HMI] with a color display, bezel pushbuttons, and programmable softkeys tailored to aircraft configuration, improving audio management and growth capability,” according to Sollo.

Piaggio will also increase the Evo's maximum zero fuel weight (MZFW) to 10,200 pounds, up from 9,800 pounds. Sollo said this "improves the P.180 operational flexibility by allowing the increase of the payload by 400 pounds (equivalent to two passengers) while at the same time keeping the maximum takeoff weight unchanged,” said Sollo.

Meanwhile, the company is rolling out new cabin interiors, including updated design elements and improved lighting, that are slated for certification in the first quarter of next year. “These will be an evolution of the current interiors; they will retain the already remarkable dimensions and volumes but they will come with an improved style and a general qualitative improvement guaranteed by the new supplier, Delta Interior Design,” said Sollo. “The new interiors will also have an updated cabin lighting system and a new cabin ‘smart’ digital system, improving lights control and providing USB ports at each seat.”

Since 2012, the China Aerospace Propulsion Technology International Forum (CAPTIF) has been held in Shanghai, Xi'an, Shenyang, Chengdu, Changsha and Guiyang in turn. It has been successfully held for eight sessions, attracting more than 2000 industry experts and representatives from hundreds of enterprises in more than 20 countries around the world. Hunan aviation industry has a long history, it is not only the research and production base of small and medium-sized aero-engines in China, but also the birthplace of the first aero-engine in New China and the first fully independently developed aero-engine. It has created several firsts in the aviation industry in New China. Important member units of China's aero-engine industry have also taken root in the province. On May 2018, AECC disclosed AES100 civil turboshaft engine and AEP500 civil turboprop engine for the first time. In the future, the market prospect of civil turboshaft and turboprop aeroengines in China is broad. It is expected that by 2035, there will be nearly 3000 AES100 engines and nearly 3500 AEP500 engines.