The Piaggio 180 Avanti aircraft is manufactured by the Italian aircraft manufacturer Piaggio Aero. It differs from other business jets of this class with an unusual aerodynamic design called "canard" ("duck").
The Piaggio 180 Avanti aircraft is manufactured by the Italian aircraft manufacturer Piaggio Aero. It differs from other business jets of this class with an unusual aerodynamic design called "canard" ("duck").
The P.180 Avanti, which in its third variant assumed the name of
Avanti EVO
, was designed in the early eighties by a team of engineers led by the aviation designer Alessandro Mazzoni. The target was ambitious: to create a twin turboprop – normally slower than the jets – faster than a jet of similar dimensions, maintaining lower operating cost. The result went beyond expectations. The aerodynamic solution with three lifting surfaces, still unsurpassed today worldwide, contributed to make it the fastest turboprop in the world, but with operating cost 40% lower those of jets of comparable dimensions. At the same time, the pusher propellers and the fuselage design brought to the history of aviation an airplane with an unmatched large, quiet and comfortable cabin. This optimization of the performances also reflects in the aesthetic of the product, which is considered one of the coolest aircraft in the world. One of the owners of such a jet is Michael Schumacher.