RUAG Aviation has completed the first retrofit of a Magnaghi Aeronautica-designed and manufactured landing gear on a Piaggio P180 Avanti II.
The system – which was installed at RUAG’s Lugano-Agno, Switzerland facility – replaces the Messier-Bugatti-Dowty equipment that has been a feature on the Avanti series since the programme was launched in the mid-1980s.
Piaggio replaced the Messier-Bugatti-Dowty system in 2015 on its third and latest iteration of the twin-engined turboprop, the Evo.
The Italian airframer says the 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 Messier-Bugatti-Dowty design’s 6,000-cycle/12-year schedule.
Paul Cordwell/Piaggio Aerospace
“The new gear offers long-term cost savings, reducing overhaul costs by 50% compared to the existing system,” Piaggio’s chief operating officer Renato Vaghi says.
The company – wholly owned by Abu Dhabi investment house Mubadala – says there is a lot of interest in the upgrade from owners of its Avanti II, of which there are 125 units worldwide. Piaggio may also offer the upgrade for the 88 first-generation Avantis that are still in service.
Source: Flight International
