Sheikh's Piaggio P180 Avanti II

In the office.
And on the beach

The web magazine for top managers - who's promoted, who came, who left? And what to do when you're not in the office.

When Sheikh Saad Rafic decided to step into luxury travel market his Saraya company chose Piaggio P180 Avanti II, a prestigious business aircraft.

The Piaggio P180 Avanti II twin-engine turboprop business aircraft is the successor to the P180 Avanti. The Avanti II introduces enhanced avionics, much speed and payload, and a better cabin comfort. The operational ceiling of the Avanti II is 41,000ft allowing the aircraft to fly above weather systems.

Piaggio P180 Avanti II

The smooth aerodynamic curve shape from nose to tail gives decreased drag and improves flight characteristics. The aircraft has three separated lifting surfaces which give stability. It also has two-thirds of the conventional surface area, which also increases fuel efficiency. About 90% of the aircraft is aluminium alloy and about 10% composites with carbon fibre-reinforced plastic for high-stress areas.

The pilot and co-pilot have adjustable and reclining seats. The Avanti II avionics are based on the well-known Rockwell Collins ProLine 21 suite and includes three 10x8-inch LCDs, an FMS 3000 flight management system and AHS 3000 attitude heading reference system.

Piaggio P180 Avanti II

The spacious cabin is 1.75m high and 1.85m wide and is fitted with five fully-adjustable cabin leather chairs and a divan. The pusher engines direct sound toward the tail of the aircraft, minimising engine noise. The combined design of the wing, engine and fuselage provides a significant reduction in vibration for passenger comfort.

The two fuselage tanks and two wing tanks hold a maximum of 1,585l of usable fuel which gives a maximum range of 3,322km, allowing the completion of most corporate missions without refuelling. A flight from London to Athens or Paris to Moscow will take less than four hours. A 570km (300-mile) journey can be completed in 53 minutes.

The short field performance of the aircraft – 869m take-off distance over 50ft obstacle, and 872m landing distance over 50ft obstacle – allows the Avanti to fly to smaller airfields close to a wide number of destinations.

September 30, 2008

Post to: