They "couldnt" find a charter in time (by 2pm as I had to be back), so they put me on American Airlines. We have graduates from Embry-Riddle, Purdue, UND, Parks College, etc., some of the most respected aviation schools in the world. I am disappointed that there has been no communication out to the owners about this grounding and if you go to their website it doesn't mention anything and it looks like business as usual. If not pilots for a direct competitor that would benefit from a VNR no longer there, I would guess that they might be disgruntled former employees filtered out by VNR's well-known tough training program. Contact me at Atomicapril @ gmail.com. | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Content Policy. Operationally this company is in big trouble. What's done in the dark always comes to light. And while I have spoken mainly about our pilots, I would like to commend my fellow employees, especially maintenance, in the other departments. Of course, with higher operating weights you wont be able to carry as much fuel or, hence, get as much range, though the truth is that most flights in a 400-knot airplane are less than 1,000 nm anyway, and with a thousand-mile range as the target, you can liberally load the P.180. Where did you get this press release? The main wing of the airplane is very small (172.2 square feet, slightly less than a Cessna 210s) and very highly loaded. He sighted the runway at 50 ft above the missed approach point. From the beginning, Piaggio Aero intended the Avanti to be a turboprop that played in the same niche as light jets but with better economy and a larger cabin. A CEO and board that has taekn this company into a downward spiralouot of business in 3 monthsnice stock price!! WebP180 Avanti General Description. So last saturday I was scheduled to fly from Dallas to Las Vegas at noon. Everyone at Owner Services couldn't have been nicer and the vast majority of the pilots were courteous and very professional, and I had zero complaints with them. While I flew, Villi checked the Airplane Flight Manual and the performance graphs corroborated these figures to within a couple of knots at ISA +5. In a jet this would have resulted in a go-around from 10 miles out. Compared to the Avanti II it has redesigned nacelles, winglets, and a reshaped front wing, leading to a 3% reduction in emissions along with a 3% increase in climb performance. We continued to decelerate and shortly after selecting landing flaps, I turned toward the hillside on my left to line up with the runway as we passed through 600 feet. Please contact me at the e-mail address below if you are interested. He said the airplane was slightly right of the runway centerline and that there was a right crosswind. Thanks for point that out. When the crew explained that MYF was below approach minimus due to the CAT B limitation, the owner used abusive language and accused them of lying. Grant has been flying the Avanti for years with thousands of hours of experience in the airplane, much of it under typical charterlike conditions. We are confident we are laying the groundwork necessary to offer outstanding service and reliability going forward.. However, the pilot did not report any pre-accident mechanical malfunction or anomaly with the airplane that may have precluded normal operation. To begin, VNR has been a great place to work for many furloughed and retired former airline pilots. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2012-10-23/avantair-grounds-entire-fleet-safety-checks, It was ground the fleet for inspection or get shutdown my the FAA. At that level we were seeing 380 knots or Mach 0.664 on 600 pounds of jet-A per hour, not per side but total. I still recall going into one of the back hangers and see MX personal taking parts off of other P180s and putting them on other P180s. I asked Grant to put the gear up on positive rate of climb, and soon thereafter I called for the flaps to be retracted. Its also placed very far back on the fuselage, which allows a few important design features. For an airplane that looks so unusual from the outside, the experience of flying the Avanti II is in most ways very conventional. As far as the crew that experienced the elevator loss, now you will hear the rest of the story.. Due to low ceilings at the destination airport, the crew diverted to the alternate, SAN. Above FL200, the torque is allowed to reduce as ITT becomes the governing factor and we targeted approximately 800 deg C. The maximum continuous ITT is 820 degrees, but 785 degrees is recommended to produce rated horsepower in ISA conditions and improve engine life. Now thats not bad for the performance you get (6 pax plus bags 1300-1500nm). Yes. I'm not saying that maintenance or pilots did not make mistakes, but it helps to know the entire story before a rush to judgement. But as soon as Lorenzo released the back pressure and added power, the aircraft recovered and we were flying at 140 knots. Today's grounding is the 4th time in 2 weeks they have grounded the fleet, but the previous times they had slowly returned airplanes to service. At 10:21:49, there was 1000 feet of vertical separation and 0.9 nautical miles of lateral separation between the two aircraft. One thats lacking is the single FMS. Whatever the outcome, it was and is an honor and a blast to serve our Owners and work with my fellow VNR employees. Taxi steering was selected on the column switch, and the airplane moved easily at our ramp weight of 10,800 pounds. pilots. It wasnt the only fast turboprop twin with a forward wing the Beech Starship was a contemporary, though that company stopped production of the composite cabin-class twin shortly after it started it, admitting later that the composite model was so time-intensive to build that it was simply unprofitable. You know get them off the insurance roll. A traffic target can be out of view in certain positions, at around 2 oclock for the left-seater or 11 oclock for the right-seater. With fully reversionary flat-screen displays with a host of safety utilities, including TCAS, TAWS, satellite weather and more, the avionics suite is top-notch, and Piaggio Aero has been working with Rockwell Collins since the introduction of the Avanti II to add upgrades as they became available. Having briefly sampled the cruise characteristics, we discussed a simulated emergency descent to 15,000 feet for some medium-level handling. Then there are the issues with inflight engine shutdowns that happen way early of the engine manufacture time frames. Thank you! Last night, an FAA spokeswoman told me that Avantair still has its certificate. So it was no surprise that my first impressions were of relatively high control forces with noticeable system friction in both pitch and roll with, at low speed, a low geared pitch trim. Avantair and the FAA may call it voluntary, but it's all semantics. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information. A most serious maintenance error especially since the elevator installation work would have required a RII type (double) inspection. Please note that not all records are available electronically. http://www.avantair.com/filings.html. The crew arrived at the intermediate airport and quickly boarded the two waiting passengers.Theydid not perform an adequate preflight inspection and departed about 5 minutes behind schedule. Furloughs.too bad. Piaggio will also increase the Evo's maximum zero fuel weight (MZFW) to 10,200 pounds, up from 9,800 pounds. Taking back control as we lined up, Villi held the brakes using the top of the toe pedals, advanced the power levers to 97.6 percent, and we accelerated briskly to 120 knots. This kind of range makes the P.180 a great bet as a regional airplane or one thats based in the Midwest. Seats / up to 11 He placed his left foot at the base of the carpet behind the central instrument panel and stepped forward with his right, placing his foot inboard of the control column and gracefully followed with his left. Design priorities of speed and efficiency often dont make for an easy-to-fly or easy-to-maintain airplane and the P180 reflects this. Sounds like they are on life support and being read their last rights. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2018-07-18/pilot-report-piaggio-avanti-evo, Copyright 2023 AIN Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 79 dated 17 It's because they MUST do it. A lot of the airplane have recurring maintenance problems that just get put off until something really breaks and the airplane is grounded. Turboprops behave in certain ways, and jets in other ways, but the Avanti II is a true hybrid, a product that blends the best traits from two very different airplane categories to arrive at some third niche, which at present it occupies by itself. Be sure to repair any leaky faucets or toilets. Piaggio can do it, too. Cabin dimensions are spacious compared to a Beechcraft King Air and more in line with a midsize jet. I'm a fractional owner and the first I heard about this fleet grounding was 11pm last night when I got an email from owner services saying my flights for this morning at 9am and return tomorrow were cancelled. P180 Avanti Hydraulic. If this had happened at a big passenger airline, they would have been lauded for getting the aircraft to the runway. P180 Avanti Ice and Rain Protection. The sharp sweepback of the horizontal stabilizer ensures the elevators cannot be aerodynamically blanked by the main wing during a stall and thus remain effective throughout, and the main wing, with its high aspect ratio, is positioned behind the rear pressure bulkhead so that the spar does not pass through the passenger cabin, giving an uninterrupted length of 14.93 ft. At FL380, you can expect 380 KTAS on 600 pounds per hour in an Avanti II. Villi selected the Rockwell Collins RTA-800 weather radar on his nav display via the display control panel down the side of the PFD, to monitor a cell just inland. Bill, I appreciate the info and your honest evaluation. FlightAware General. Piaggio P.180 AFM TC No. I HOPE they make it but I'm already making plans for other options. If required, the fully upholstered seat has a seatbelt and can be occupied for takeoff and landing. In any event, they are going to be fighting an uphill battle, as each day that passes is going to cause people to want to cancel there "membership.". Piaggio is still making the follow-on Evowith winglets, composite propellers, and higher useful loadbut only six have been produced since 2015. Piaggios appearance at the Singapore Airshow in February lifted hopes somewhat that the design can survive. Vref lists the value of a 1990 P180 at $846,600 ranging up to $6.1 million for a 2019 Avanti Evo. It just so happens to be one of the most unusual looking ones too. Try using low-flow fixtures. On climb-out, especially given the steep angle of attack of the impressive-climbing P.180, its hard to see much out front at all. 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