PIAGGIO AERO INDUSTRIES SPA P180 AVANTI II

The Piaggio Avanti is the fastest turboprop ever certified: about 390 to 400 knots, which is light-jet speed, from two pusher PT6s on a three-surface layout with a forward wing, a mid-set main wing and a conventional tail. It burns roughly seventy-six gallons an hour, far less than a jet doing the same speed, and the three-surface layout and pusher propellers remain unique in production aviation. The certificate designation P180 covers three generations. The original Avanti, from 1990, has PT6A-66 engines and a conventional panel. The Avanti II of 2005 brought the PT6A-66B, a higher maximum weight and the Collins Pro Line 21 flight deck, and is the version most of the fleet is. The Avanti EVO, launched in May 2014 and certified by EASA in November 2014 and the FAA in July 2015, kept the -66B engines and added winglets, five-blade Hartzell scimitar propellers that cut cabin and external noise, aerodynamic refinements and an optional extra fuel tank, for more range and better climb. A buyer should establish which of the three an aircraft is before anything else, because the panel and the noise are what separate them.

The cabin is the other unusual feature — because the main wing passes behind it, the cabin is unobstructed, wide and taller than the aircraft's footprint suggests. The reservations are entirely about support rather than the aeroplane. Piaggio entered administration and the company's future has been uncertain for years; parts have at times been slow or unobtainable, specialised components have no second source, and resale values reflect that risk. Buyers should investigate the current parts position directly before committing, not assume it.