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_.

EXHIBIT 

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# ADVANTAGE, AVANTI Piaggiopushesintothefuture.

byJ.MacMcClellan

54

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THE EARLY Learjet influence is instantly apparent in the Avanti cockpit. Controls, switches, nomenclature and
even the shade ofgray paint onthe panel are allLearjet. And the control wheels and the special trim-control button are pure Learjet. The view from the Avanti cockpit is Q like the view from ajet-no wings or engines in sight- 

### § and the Learjet cockpit features heighten that feel. The

# 5 Avanti's unique flush windshields willbechanged tojust
~ a single pane oneach side, eliminating the sidepost, The §
new windshield will improve the Avanti's already good
~ visibility and will use electrically heated glass panes to ~ combat icing.
~ Starting the Avanti's Pratt &Whitney PT6 engines is
~

FLYINGIDECEMBER 1987 55like starting any other turboprop, except that this isthe

first PT6-powered airplane I've flown where I couldn't
see the props turn. It felt and sounded like starting ajet. Piaggio uses two levers to control the engines instead of the three that most other turboprops use. Fuel condition iscontrolled bythe prop-control lever, andthe throttle levers control power and select reverse thrust. The Avanti uses anosewheel-steering system that responds and feels exactly like aLearjet's. Piaggio test pilot Giuliano Currado says that the "taxi" mode istoo sensitive, and that itisbest used only intight ramp spaces. But the "takeoff and landing" mode feltjust right. And unlike the Learjet's, the Avanti's steering system is left

onthroughout takeoff and landing. Adeadband ofabout 10 degrees of rudder travel allows for crosswind landings without cocking the nosewheel. Avanti brakes are power-boosted-a rare feature on a light turbopropand they are smooth. For takeoff on a 79° day, the Avanti weighed 9,660 pounds and needed less than 3,000 feet of runway. In fact, Piaggio calculations show that the Avanti never requires more than 3,000feet ofrunway. The engines are flat-rated to 800shp but actually produce enough power tomaintain takeoff power towell above Flight Level 200. Speed targets were 103knots for rotation and 115knots for engine-out climb. The Avanti tracked straight andtrue downthe runway
as I trimmed power with the throttles. Rotation speed

came quickly, and itwas easy toflyto 10degrees nose up with no overshoot. Because of its straight wing the Avanti flies offthe pavement quickly, rather than rolling along for afew seconds with its nose up. Iwas oninstruments right away and was delighted by the airplane's

56 

# u," •IFLYJ\"(;;!IECEMRER 1~~7 stability and control response. Optimum initial climb speed is 155 knots, but that yields a deck angle that's too high for passenger comfort or good forward visibility. With the nose up 10degrees the indicated airspeed settled on 180knots, and the Avanti climbed at about 3,000 fpm to our ATC-assigned altitude of 8,000 feet. Cleared to FL 350 I held the same 10-degree pitch attitude, and we went up fast-the airplane was still climbing 2,000 fpm at FL 300 and, as predicted before takeoff, was climbing at 1,200 fpm at 

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FL 350. At that altitude the Avanti indicated Mach .62 with the OAT
~~:~~b~;~;~a::::sd~;O~ ~~~~le f~~i nu~~~~_~;~C:~~~~i flow of 630pph. (To go to the air- t t

. I ' '1' fFL 410 ld pro 0 vpe In pane scermg 0 we wou fr ht Th t bhave neede~ ~dditional clearance Pil~p'~m:inU~i~9 aboye 0l;lrmilitary test area.)

. areaislessthan a Plag~lO exp~cts the Avanti to CessnaSk hawk's. reach Its maximum speed of 400 Butits :abin knots at F~ 270 a?d has already aboveleft i~ flown the airplane in excess of 380 all busine~s. knots. The number-two prototype I flew did not yet have production engines or props, so it didnot have full power available. But atFL240the true airspeed reached 373knots. This lower-altitude speed will be important in some parts of the 

### U.S., where ATCisholding airplanes that are flying short hops, or those that can't cruise at near Mach .8in the low-altitude sectors that top out at FL 230. Even at full power at alower-than-optimum altitude, the Piaggio used only 840pounds offuel per hour.

57AtFL 350the airplane felt solidonthe controls even in

45-degree banks. The ailerons are light and responsive, while pitch force is slightly heavier. Though the light ailerons are adelight-even oninstruments-Piaggio test pilots believe the average corporate pilot will be happy with the slightly higher roll forces that are inthe works. Despite the responsive ailerons, the Avanti is extremely stable and would make hands-off 20-degree banks even at FL 350. There is little Dutch roll, and when yaw was excited with the rudder pedals the yaw swings damped out quickly. Icertainly don't think ayaw damper willbe required for certification at any altitude but, as in any corporate airplane, passengers willwelcome it, anditwill be standard. The Avanti ispressurized to nine psi, creating a7,000- foot cabin altitude at FL 410.The pressurization system performed flawlessly, even inan MMO descent with both engines at flight idle. In fact, the cabin maintained pressure with both engines at idleandwith bleed airfrom one turned off at FL 350. This is an airplane designed for high-altitude flight, notjust given enough power to get there. The Avanti's smoothness and quiet are remarkable, and adirect result ofPiaggio's attention to the tiniest of detail. With nointerior and little soundproofing installed, the cockpit was as quiet and vibration-free as that ofany business jet I've flown, and quieter than most. Even when flying at maximum allowable indicated airspeed, usually the most critical test, the sound level was unchanged. The air was smooth for our nearly two-hour flight, soI couldn't fully assess the ride inturbulence. With its'63.5- pounds-per-square-foot wing loading, the Avanti should

58FLYI~G/DECEMBER 1987 give agood ride. The wing loading is comparable with a light business jet's, while popular turboprops have loadings inthe 40-pounds-per-square-foot range. The Avanti has ideal stall characteristics, right out ofthe textbooks. With flaps up, set for approach or set for landing, the response was always the same. High stick force is required to pull the airplane from a low trimmed speed up to the stall. As the stall approaches, the airplane buffets unmistakably. Finally, ifyou persist inpulling back, the nose drops straight ahead with full roll con

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trol available. In fact, ATe or- dered aheading change as Iwas in ~heprocess. ofstalli~g the .airplane ouryearsof

m the landmg conflguratlO.n, so I computeranalysis is ~ent ahead an~ turned WIth t~e partly responsible airplane buffetmg. The Avanti s fortheAvanti's nose-drop was initially not as pro- radical looksnounced. as Piaggio desired, so a andperformance. stall strip was added to the for- Butcontrolis ward wing. That strip will be .re- conventional; the placed by a recontour~d leadmg "canard" provides edge for the forward wmg. onlybalancing lift. At 14,000feet we shut down the right engine and feathered the prop. Rudder force isconsiderable, near the 150-pound certification limit at VMC airspeed with an engine out, but the airplane is easy to handle. Because the props counterrotate, there is no "critical" engine. Engine-out climb at our weight was just over 1,000 fpm at 14,000 feet. Piaggio engineers want areasonably high rudder force with an engine out; itwillhelp protect the fin and rudder structure from possible overstressing through too much rudder application

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# . WRITE IN NO. 19 ON READER SERVICE CARD and will aid in identification of the failed engine. Ifpresent pedal forces

are too high, they can be reduced by changing the rudder control linkage. Autofeathering willbe standard. The pusher-prop configuration is inherently more stable and seemed to produce less engine-out control difficulty. Engine-out climb performance should be excellent on the Avanti, with a projected sea-level single-engine climb rate of 1,250fpm at maximum takeoff weight. The Avanti's excellent stability and precise handling qualities were most welcome on the long and unusual 

### lL8 approach into Genoa. The only handling-quality note is that the nose pitches up slightly during flap extension, and then back down again to regain trim. Anyone who has flown aCessna high-wing single has experienced this. For some reason, perhaps because of interaction ofthe wake from the forward wing, the Avanti is not quite as stable in yaw with full flaps. It's not bad, though; itjust isn't as rock solid as itis with the flaps up. Approach target speed was 115 knots, though VREF may be as low as 107 knots. On the glideslope, the Avanti's attitude is somewhere between the nose-high attitude of ajet and the nose-down attitude of a conventional turboprop. The result is that you arrive overthe runway needing only a slight flare for landing. I flared high the first time, but by keeping the power onIwas able to allowthe airplane to sink for a smooth touchdown. On the touch-and-go the airplane
was remarkably easy to control on the runway as the engines spun up. The second landing worked out even better. The Avanti will be a pilotpleaser, and thus a passenger-pleaser, sincepassengers are soimpressed by smooth landings. Maximum operating speed (VMO) is being increased to 300knots from the original 260-knot limit because the airframe has proven to be so capable. New six-blade metal props from Hartzell, with thicker roots and smaller diameter, were needed for the higher-speed flight and to withstand the exhaust heat of the engines. The optimized thrust from the
new props and final production engines seems certain to push the Avanti to its final goal of a400-knot cruising speed. The Avanti is expected to be certified by the end ofthe first quarter of 1988, with first deliveries in early 

### PIAGGIO AVANTI 1989. Production has begun on the first 12airplanes. Itisexpected to sell for $3.7million. The Avanti is the world's fastest turboprop and one of the most efficient, yet it still has short-runway capabilities. Passengers will luxuriate in the largest cabin cross section-and probably the quietest-of any corporate turboprop or light jet. The Avanti has as large a cross section as the Falcon 200does. Throw in the superb handling qualities and you have arevolutionary airplane-not in the way it is built, but certainly the Avanti has taken the corporate airplane's evolution process a stunning leap forward. 0

The airplane flown for this report was the second prototype Avanti. It hadjust under 90 hours' total flying time and was equipped with Collins Pro Line avionics, a Bendix/King color weather radar and a full complement offlight-test equipment that used telemetry to send as many as 1,000channels ofdata to theflight-test laboratory. The autopilot/automatic flightcontrol system, anti-ice systems and production versions ofthe engines had not yet been installed. All specifications are preliminary, awaiting certification in early 1988.
Projected price $3.7 million Engines P&W PT6A·66, 800shp each Props Hartzell, six blades Seats 6/10 Length

. .. .. . .. . .. .. . .. .. .. . . .. .. 46.5 ft Height 12.8ft Wingspan 45.4ft Wing area 169.6ft Wing aspect ratio 11.8 Max ramp weight. 10,8001bs Max takeoff weight " 10,7101bs Equipped empty weight 7,000 lbs Max useful load 3,800 lbs Max landing weight. 9,985 lbs Wing loading 63.5 lbs/sq ft Power loading 6.75 Ibs/shp Maxusable fuel 2,7001bs Max rate ofclimb 3,650 fpm Ceiling (certified) 41,000 ft Max pressurization differential 9psi 7,OOO-ft. cabin at 41,000 ft SE rate ofclimb 1,250fpm Maximum speed 400kts at FL 270 Maximum operating speed

.................... 300KIAS/Mach .67 Max range 1,800nm at 320KTAS,

with IFR reserves and

4passengers Stalling speed, flaps down.

. . . .. ... 82kts