Australian Flying — November-December 2017

Italian aircraft

manufacturer Piaggio

Aerospace, maker of

the P.180 Avanti EVO

turboprop pusher twin,

has appointed Perth’s

Airflite as its exclusive

sales representative

for Australia and New

Zealand.

Piaggio sees the

Avanti EVO as the

ideal aircraft for a wide

range of missions in

the region, offering the

speed and comfort of a

mid-sized jet (including

a stand-up cabin), with

the operating costs and

airfield capability of a twin

turboprop.

“Its versatility is a

significant attraction for

the market, as Avanti

EVO can be utilised

for corporate or special

mission applications

including specialised

aeromedical operations,”

said Airflite general

manager Kristian

Constantinides.

Renato Vaghi, chief

executive officer of Piaggio

Aerospace, said: “The

Avanti EVO aircraft

corresponds perfectly

with Australian and

New Zealand market

requirements of efficiency

and speed, as well as the

specific ability to land on

short or even semi-prepared

runways, allowing access to

peripheral airports.

“With its expert team

and extended network,

Airflite represents an

ideal partner with which

to promote excellence in

business aviation, and

the new agreement will

significantly boost regional

awareness of our state-of-

the-art Avanti EVO.”

The P.180 Avanti

EVO’s two 850 shp Pratt

and Whitney PT6A-66B

engines drive five-blade

Hartzell low-noise

propellers, pushing the

aircraft to a 402-knot

maximum cruise speed

at 31,000 feet. Its nose

mounted smaller wing

allows the main wing to

be pushed aft, freeing up

cabin space, while the

pusher engine design

reduces noise and allows

the metal propeller blades

to be heated by engine

exhaust, removing the

need for an anti-ice system.

Airflite has served as

the Piaggio Aerospace

maintenance centre for

the Asia Pacific region for

several years.

AUSTRALIAN FLYING November – December 2017

The US Federal Aviation

Administration (FAA) has

updated the design rules

for light aircraft, which it

believes will have a positive

impact on encouraging

manufacturers to adopt

new designs, materials and

construction methods.

Federal Aviation

Regulation (FAR) Part

23 governs the design of

Normal, Utility, Aerobatic

and Commuter aircraft

and stems from the original

Civil Aviation Regulation

(CAR) 3, which was

formulated in 1966.

Consequently, FAR

23 has been deemed over

prescriptive and outdated,

making it more expensive

for manufacturers to

adopt new designs and

FAA updates GA design regulations

Changes aimed at encouraging new designs and methods

technologies that could

increase the safety of light

aircraft. Aeroplanes such as

the Cessna 172 series and

the Piper Cherokee were all

originally CAR 3 aircraft.

The new FAR 23,

which came into force

in September, will free-

up aircraft designers

to make greater use of

composites and delete a

lot of the detail on how to

achieve certain regulatory

standards.

"This regulatory

approach recognises

there is more than one

way to deliver on safety,"

the FAA said. "It offers a

way for industry and the

FAA to collaborate on

new technologies and to

keep pace with evolving

aviation designs and

concepts."

It is also expected to

significantly lower the

cost of certifying new

aeroplanes. In 2015,

the General Aviation

Manufacturers Association

(GAMA) estimated that

$US200,000 of the selling

price of a new-design

aeroplane was simply to

recoup development costs.

This is believed to have

contributed to older designs

being kept and continuously

updated rather than new

ones certified.

FAR 23 also addresses

recommendations from

the FAA’s 2013 Part 23

Reorganization Aviation

Rulemaking Committee,

which suggested a more

streamlined approval

process for safety

equipment on conforming

aeroplanes.

Australia’s Civil

Aviation Safet y

Regulations have an

equivalent regulation,

CASR Part 23, which is

likely to be updated to

the new standard, given

that FAR 23 was based

on the European EASA

CS 23 standard, and to

not update CASR 23

would leave Australia

with an unharmonised

regulation.

Updates FARs may lower the cost of developing new aircraft.

(^18) News
australianflying.com.au
Avanti maker is stepping up its Asia Pacific sales campaign
Piaggio appoints Airflite
Piaggio has chosen Airflite as Australia and New Zealand
representative for its Avanti turboprop.