Piaggio secures US and European approval for Avanti Evo Magnaghi landing gear

Piaggio Aerospace has secured European and US certification for the new landing gear on its Avanti Evo twin-engined turboprop, following an intensive flight-test programme.

The system, designed and manufactured by Italian company Magnaghi, replaces the Dowty landing gear that has been a feature on all Avanti models – including the first Evo delivered in April to Greece’s Superior Air – since the Piaggio P180 programme was launched in the mid-1980s.

Piaggio says Magnaghi system – which includes the main and nose landing gear, along with the nose wheel steering system – is more efficient than its predecessor. To illustrate this, it cites its 10,000-cycle/15-year overhaul interval, compared with the Dowty design’s 6,000-cycle/12-year schedule.

“The new landing gear is now ready to be installed as standard on all the Avanti Evos that are going to be delivered from now on,” Piaggio says. It is planning to ship its next aircraft by late October or “early November at the latest”.

Up to a dozen Evos are scheduled for delivery by the end of next year.

The $7.4 million Evo is the third iteration of the P180. It was launched in May 2014 as an upgraded and higher performance version of the 10-year-old Avanti II.

The Evo features a host of refinements, including a revamped, quieter interior; winglets; redesigned engine nacelles; a reshaped front wing; anti-skid brakes; and five-blade composite scimitar propellers.