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kb58
kb58 UltraDork
10/24/24 10:52 a.m.

Italians already make some of the most beautiful automobiles. Here's happens when that passion gets applied to aircraft.

Just. Wow.

 

Duke
Duke MegaDork
10/24/24 11:27 a.m.

There used to be a Piaggio that flew in and out of ILG - my office is on the final approach for runway 19, about a mile out, so I get to see a lot of interesting aircraft.

Those things are loud.  Really loud.

 

Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter)
Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) UltraDork
10/24/24 11:44 a.m.

You mean Piaggio as in scooter?

dculberson
dculberson MegaDork
10/24/24 11:46 a.m.

It's even got the skinny Italian waiter mustache!

confuZion3
confuZion3 UltraDork
10/24/24 11:51 a.m.

I like that it has front canards, as well as a rear wing. Extra downforce!

aircooled
aircooled MegaDork
10/24/24 12:24 p.m.

In reply to Duke :

I know a guy who used to be the airport manager at Santa Monica airport.  He said they were so loud they are not allowed to land at Santa Monica.

When you have to route the turbine exhaust through the propellers, it makes NOISE.

There is also this Italian (Bugatti) design:

News | Reverse Engineering A Never Built WWII Era Plane, Man Dies ...

ShawnG
ShawnG MegaDork
10/24/24 1:29 p.m.

I'll just leave this here.

https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/tag/aeronautica-macchi/

 

They do a nice job with boats too:

pres589 (djronnebaum)
pres589 (djronnebaum) UltimaDork
10/24/24 1:52 p.m.

Shawn beat me to it!

The Macchi MC.72 is gorgeous.  

 

I don't know if Bugatti exactly qualifies for "Italian aircraft" or not.  They would have been built in France.

goingnowherefast
goingnowherefast GRM+ Memberand Reader
10/24/24 2:02 p.m.

Italian aircraft design has always been super interesting to me, especially the WWII flavor. They were, in a lot of respects ahead of the game in the field of aerodynamics (C.202 was a REALLY well respected aircraft). Nowadays, unless you like the look, you'd have to be really dumb to buy this over a faster, more fuel efficient, and cheaper Gulfstream G150 or like a Learjet 75. Source: Aero enthusiast and commerical multi-engined rated pilot.

BoxheadTim
BoxheadTim GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
10/24/24 2:19 p.m.
Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) said:

You mean Piaggio as in scooter?

Piaggio was an aircraft company that ended up building scooters as a way to survive after the last Great Unpleasantness.

if you look at the front suspension of the original Vespa, it looks awfully like someone used a strut from a landing gear there for inspiration. 

pres589 (djronnebaum)
pres589 (djronnebaum) UltimaDork
10/24/24 2:38 p.m.
goingnowherefast said:

Italian aircraft design has always been super interesting to me, especially the WWII flavor. They were, in a lot of respects ahead of the game in the field of aerodynamics (C.202 was a REALLY well respected aircraft). Nowadays, unless you like the look, you'd have to be really dumb to buy this over a faster, more fuel efficient, and cheaper Gulfstream G150 or like a Learjet 75. Source: Aero enthusiast and commerical multi-engined rated pilot.

Twin-engine turboprop aircraft are usually going to be noticeably less cost to own and operate vs. part 25 biz jets.  ROUGH quick checks online says a P180 costs around $7.2mil new; G150's are just over $15mil.  Fuel burn per hour is about 1/2 the G150 in favor of the P180, though cruise speeds are about 1/3rd higher for the G150.  Cessna "M2" (don't love that model name), the current CJ1, is actually a bit cheaper than the P180 but much smaller inside.  

I'm not a big fan of the P180 but I can understand how it has some positive aspects.  If they had gone with about 25% less novelty and put the engines in a more traditional configuration and basically made a modern copy of the King Air B200 or Cessna 441 they might have made a bigger splash in the market.  

VolvoHeretic
VolvoHeretic GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
10/24/24 6:38 p.m.

In reply to kb58 :

What, it can't even fly upside down?

lotusseven7 (Forum Supporter)
lotusseven7 (Forum Supporter) Dork
10/24/24 7:34 p.m.

They make a very unusual, un-airplane-like sound. A friend has a house in Naples, FL and they fly overhead. The locals tried to get them banned from that airport due to noise pollution. 

Appleseed
Appleseed MegaDork
10/24/24 8:42 p.m.

The Avanti is absolutely gorgeous. It's all metal.  No plastic or fiberglass. And despite being deaf, I always know when one is overhead.  It is a very distinct sound.

Appleseed
Appleseed MegaDork
10/24/24 8:44 p.m.

Don't forget an Italian designed  this:

ShawnG
ShawnG MegaDork
10/24/24 8:57 p.m.

In reply to pres589 (djronnebaum) :

It still holds speed records too.

TJL (Forum Supporter)
TJL (Forum Supporter) SuperDork
10/24/24 8:59 p.m.

Saw this piaggio a few times. Was hangared next to a customer I visited in Louisiana. 

SPG123
SPG123 HalfDork
10/25/24 10:15 a.m.

In reply to ShawnG :

Is the top photo from the Davinci museum in Milan?   Looks sorta kinda like it. And there was a building with a lot of similar things that move. Some of them absolutely stunning.    

sotaro
sotaro New Reader
10/26/24 12:35 a.m.

In reply to aircooled :

The loud sound is the result of the turbulent air coming off of the wing going into the propellers.

triumph7
triumph7 Dork
10/26/24 12:14 p.m.

Surprised no one has mentioned the Sequoia Falco.

Appleseed
Appleseed MegaDork
10/26/24 12:21 p.m.

Piaggio has a penchant for pushers. Even their flying boats are beautiful.

ShawnG
ShawnG MegaDork
10/26/24 12:42 p.m.

In reply to Appleseed :

All the noise is behind you so it's someone else's problem. 

Appleseed
Appleseed MegaDork
10/26/24 3:03 p.m.

VolvoHeretic
VolvoHeretic GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
10/26/24 5:55 p.m.

Ok, I'm a little more impressed, it CAN fly upside down. smiley

 

Appleseed
Appleseed MegaDork
10/26/24 8:26 p.m.

Of course it can. Most aircraft can go inverted, briefly. As per Tex Johnston on barrel rolls: "If done correctly ,  the aircraft doesn't know its upside down." Its a 1G positive maneuver.

He should know. He rolled the Dash 80 prototype. Twice.

 

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