Piaggio Aero News

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle from Piaggio Aero

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Well it's just a smaller P180 basically without the luxury.

Piaggio Aerospace launched their brand new website. Total night and day compared to the old one. This obviously launched in conjunction with the NBAA.

http://www.piaggioaerospace.it/

Piaggio Aerospace and Bravia Capital are pleased to announce a partnership to offer Avanti EVO aircraft under a new industry-leading cost management programme to North American owners and operators. The Avanti EVO aircraft will be supplied directly to Bravia Capital and be offered under a new lease-and-running-cost basis that is both competitive and highly innovative. The initial supply agreement is for 10 aircraft, rising to 50 if all options are undertaken.

Piaggio Aerospace was present together with Sparkle Roll Technik, exclusive dealer for Avanti EVO in China, at Airshow China (Guangdong) from November 11th to 16th November 2014 in Zhuhai (Guangdong). The P.180 Avanti II Extended Range from SR Technick is on display in the static area. The Show in China represented the perfect scenario to introduce the Avanti EVO in the Chinese market after its launch in May in Geneva during EBACE.

The Avanti EVO is the latest chapter in the story on the iconic aircraft which rewrote the rulebook of aviation elegance and practicality. Avanti EVO blends the very best of Italian style and peerless craftsmanship. With greater range, faster climb and an even more luxurious cabin, Avanti EVO is yet another step forward. Piaggio Aerospace was at the China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition Center for Zhuhai Air Show 2014 displaying at booth # D3-4 Hall 1.

German charter operator AirGo Flugservice (Mainz, Germany) and UK Fractional Jet Europe (FJE), have joined together to develop the first fractional ownership program based on the aircraft P180 Avanti in Europe.

Piaggio Aerospace has appointed Ms Rossella Daverio as Senior Vice President of Communications. Ms Daverio will be in charge of internal and external communications, brand management, media and public relations. An Italian national, Mrs. Daverio has extensive communications experience both at home and abroad serving as Head of Communications for a range of leading industrial companies including Airbus (aircraft manufacturing), Alcatel (telecommunications) and Rhone-Poulenc (life sciences). Prior to joining Piaggio Aerospace, Ms. Daverio founded her own communications consultancy and most recently held a professorial role teaching International Marketing at the Bocconi University of Milan.

Ms. Daverio replaces Mr. Enrico Sgarbi, who served as Head of Communications of Piaggio Aerospace for nearly ten years. Mr. Sgarbi will assume his new role at the beginning of February as Head of Communications of another internationally renowned Italian group. Piaggio Aerospace’s management would like to thank him for his outstanding commitment and contribution to the company.

Piaggio Aerospace is pleased to announce that they will attend IDEX 2015 from 22 to 26 February 2015 at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX) is the largest defense and security event in the Middle East and North African region and one of the most important in the world for the defense and security industry. It will be held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the UAE and supreme commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

Below is a photo of the actual first Avanti EVO delivered to the Greek client recently.

http://www.jetforums.net/threads/piaggio-aero-hands-over-first-avanti-evo-aircraft.1591/

Zenith Aviation is expected to take delivery of their first Piaggio Aero Avanti EVO later this year. The delivery is anticipated for October, 2015. They will represent the first UK-based company to operate the Avanti EVO pusher prop.

A bit of an update on Zenith Aviation and the Avanti EVO they are purchasing. Initially delivered appeared to be for October of their first pusher prop but now it seems that is 'pushed'- back (no pun intended) to early December 2015. “We will be taking serial number seven,” says Zenith managing director Stuart Mulholland. “It will be the first aircraft to roll off the assembly line at Villanova d’Albenga.” Villanova d’Albenga is the Italian airframer's new base, replacing its more-than 90-year-old plant in Finale Ligure, Genoa, which is being turned into a dedicated service center for the Avanti fleet.

Seventeen years after heading a consortium that rescued Piaggio Aerospace from an inevitable existence, ie: bankruptcy, Piero Ferrari has now further distanced himself and also his monetary affiliation with the company. Mr. Ferrari sold the remainder of his 1.95% stake to Mubadala, which is the Abu Dhabi-based investment entity. Mubadala now assumes as 100% owner of the Italian company. Of course, Piaggio Aero is known for manufacturing the P180 Avanti II/EVO twin-pusher-prop and its unmanned P1.HH HammerHead military reconnaissance iteration.

Things aren't looking well for this company, at least when it comes to the civilian version of the twin pusher-prop Avanti EVO. The company hardly has made any deliveries of the type to customers perhaps only four. So they are looking at focusing on the military side of things. They have the P1.HH Hammer Head in development at the moment...which is an unmanned variant of the Avanti. “Military platforms provide a sustainable and scalable growth trajectory for Piaggio Aerospace, which has been severely impacted by the contraction of the business aviation market,” said company CEO Carlo Logli in a short press release issued on July 28.

In further news, the Piaggio CEO Carlo Logli has stepped down from that position and is now replaced by the Chief Operating Officer Renato Vaghi. This come amidst promises that Piaggio will continue to provide support of the Avanti pusher-prop aircraft currently in operation and also against the background the Piaggio Aero is looking to up concentration on defense applications and projects with more emphasis.

ConnectJets showcased the Piaggio Avanti EVO turboprop over a two day event at London City Airport. The aircraft flew a number of local demonstration flights from the airport. The event was held at the London Jet Centre, hosted by Connectjets and Piaggio Aerospace, the event included luxury wines, healthy eating and nutrition, as well as promoting green flying. Alongside the Avanti EVO was the Trident Iceni, an environmentally friendly green supercar.

Piaggio Aerospace, a leading aircraft manufacturer active both in the Business and Defense & Security sectors, has announced today at the NBAA- Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition in Orlando a series of initiatives aimed at improving customer support for the P180 Avanti, its flagship business aviation aircraft. These include an agreement with Parker Aircraft Wheel & Brake Division to develop alternative brakes which improve the cost of operating the aircraft for the existing fleet; a new landing gear to be offered in retrofit to the operators of the Avanti; and the signature of new Service Center Agreements with eight major US repair stations.

Renato Vaghi, Piaggio Aerospace Chief Executive Officer, commented: “The continuing support to our customer base remains the focus of our strategy. We are strongly committed to providing all our clients with the level of service expected from a world class aircraft manufacturer. We have launched several projects aimed at improving our customers’ experience and we will announce them over the next few months”.

Alternative brakes. According to the agreement reached with Parker, a new set of steel brakes and main gear wheels will be offered to customers as a retrofit starting in mid 2017. It is expected that the overhaul of the new brakes will reduce the cost to operators by as much as 70%. The certification program will be initially conducted by Parker as an FAA Supplemental Type Certificate, to be followed by EASA approval.

New landing gear. Piaggio Aerospace is now offering the new landing gear - already installed on the Avanti EVO - in retrofit to the operators of the Avanti II. Recently certified by the FAA, following the initial EASA approval, the new landing gear is expected to halve the overhaul cost with an extended time between overhaul (TBO). The new gear also comes with a state of the art digital steering system - which reduces the pilot workload - and with a solid rack-and-pinion architecture. An optional anti-skid system is also certified for retrofit, together with LED taxi and landing lights mounted on the landing gear struts. Piaggio Aerospace is aggressively reducing the cost of the new system with a retrofit campaign which will allow the customers to purchase a new landing gear for the price of the overhaul of their currently installed components.

Service Centers Agreements. Piaggio Aerospace has signed new Service Centers Agreements with eight major US repair stations. The agreements include maintenance capability on the Avanti, the Avanti II and the newest addition to the series, the Avanti EVO, currently in display at the NBAA-BACE Exhibition. The executed agreements have been presented to Greenpoint Aerospace of Denton, TX, Intercontinental Jet Service of Tulsa, OK, Mather Aviation of Rancho Cordova, CA, Signature TechnicAir of Scottsdale, AZ, Stevens Aviation of Greenville, SC, Turboprop East of North Adams, MA, and West Star Aviation of East Alton, IL. Piaggio Aerospace also recently extended the existing Service Center agreement with Banyan Air Service, of Fort Lauderdale, FL, where the Piaggio Customer Support Florida Unit is based. The agreements include maintenance capability on the Avanti, the Avanti II and the newest addition to the series, the Avanti EVO.