Avanti II in town

[OZBUSDRIVER]

Wish I had a bit more time to look over the demo Avanti at EN today...nice looking machine in the flesh. I never realised the diameter of those five blade props were sooo small as compared to a normal PT-6 install...still, gotta hand it to the Italians...she looks like she's doing 200mph just sitting there...a real racer of an aircraft.

[Howard Hughes]

Was in Sydney yesterday, sure is a sweet looking ride!

[eternity]

Piaggio Avanti in Syd??

If thats the case I wonder if Gavin Secombe knows??

Anybody who attended his theory course would know what I mean

[Nose wheel first]

It was in Isa last Saturday. What an awesome machine!!!

[training wheels]

Where is it parked at EN? I wouldn't mind having a look tomorrow.

[aseanaero]

Susi Air just started flying one out of Halim in Jakarta , they have a unique sound compared to other turboprops , you don't need to look outside to tell it's an Avanti

[Howard Hughes]

Probably the one that is visiting, as it has Indonesian registration!

[aseanaero]

Susi took delivery of the Avanti in July , maybe they've picked up the Asia Pacific agency as well or the factory is chartering it for a sales tour of Oz ? I think the registration is PK-VVP ?

I call it the Vespa-prop as Piaggo also make Vespas.

[Massey058]

Reg is PK-VVX, Piaggio are paying to use it for promotional work in this part of the world.

[Peter Fanelli]

they have a unique sound compared to other turboprops

or in non politically correct terms, they are bloody noisy!!!

[aseanaero]

Thanks for the correction Massey , I think I got VVP from Vespa Prop which stuck in my mind.

[Massey058]

Haha yeah VVP was the first Porter.

[OZBUSDRIVER]

Training Wheels...the Avanti was parked on Exec's apron next to the F27.

[training wheels]

Originally Posted by OZBUSDRIVER

Training Wheels...the Avanti was parked on Exec's apron next to the F27.

Cheers OZBUSDRIVER. Will take a look tomorrow.

[oicur12]

eternity,

Gavin Secombe.

Yep, did ATPL something with him.

Class of .....about 1990.

Loved the grey streak in the hair.

[le Pingouin]

Departed EN for AYE then BRM this morning, presumably leaving the country. Climbs like a shower of the proverbial - made it to FL400!

[Wally Mk2]

.................bumma would liked to have seen this beast up close.
Anyone got any pix of this craft at EN?
The airframe type was bantered around in the early days as a replacement for the old flying shed Beech 200 for med Ops. Would have been great from a pilots point of view but operationally near useless.

I wonder why they never 'took off' so to speak? I guess cost versus the fact they still have props perhaps?

Wmk2

[The Bunglerat]

From my understanding, the Avanti is "taking off" quite well in some parts of the world (i.e. Europe/US), where the aircraft is better suited to the types of fields more prevalent there. IMHO, 'tis a beautiful machine, but you only have to look at the wing design and undercarriage set-up as two examples of where it falls down when it comes to Oz ops. I can't imagine it being a short field aeroplane, or one that lends itself to unsealed runways - unlike the King Air, which although not nearly as fast or sophisticated, remains to this day the best turbo-prop all-rounder.

[megle2]

Its real noisy on the outside.
And not so quiet on the inside, noisy I thought
Climbs at 2000rpm / 180kts ias / 2000 fpm when fairly light
cruises 1800 rpm 350kts+ at FL240 ( 400 at 31 I think )
120 over the fence on approach
118psi main wheels
Has gravel kit - a skirt behind the nose wheel
Can't compare to B200 / 350 more against C441 or CJ
Proline 21
Good sized cabin / baggage limited
Cunard pretty strong ( pilot sat on it)
Certainly makes a statement when it arrives on the tarmac

[aseanaero]

Sounds like a nice aircraft for 3 or 4 pax going between major or regional cities with sealed runways rather than a true utility aircraft like the King Air. Perfect for Europe and probably the USA

350 to 400 knots , that's moving !