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Flight of Fancy: Ferrari takes to the sky
Like their competitors, Ferrari uses advanced aerodynamics to keep their cars on the ground. But what if they flipped their technology upside down to create an aircraft? The result could very well be this, the Piaggio P180 Avanti II.
Beyond the usual correlation between the automotive and aeronautical industries – especially evident in six-figure sportscars and in formula motor racing – the ties between Piaggio Aero and Ferrari run far deeper. Piaggio, which sponsors the Scuderia, is chaired by Enzo's heir and company vice-chairman Piero Ferrari. The aircraft pictured is the one Ferrari uses to shuttle their executives and star drivers around Europe, if not the world, to unveil new cars, win grands prix and cut ribbons on everything from theme parks to retail stores. Interestingly, instead of jet propulsion, the Avanti II uses backwards-mounted turboprops. With a 450 mph top speed, it's the fastest turboprop in the world. It has a 1,800-mile range and 41,000-ft maximum cruising altitude but uses 30% less fuel than a comparable jet.
Of course this isn't the first time the prancing horse has appeared on an aircraft. The logo, legend has it, was emblazoned on the plane of Italian WWI flying ace Count Francesco Baracca, whose mother presented it to Enzo Ferrari after reportedly being impressed by his driving style while racing towards the checkered flag at the Salvio circuit in 1923. Whether the legend is true or not, the plane makes a more suitable canvas for the Ferrari logo than a Segway scooter.[Source: Piaggio Aero via Luxurylaunches.com]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Takeo 6:06PM (11/19/2007)
I thought the world record for fastest turboprop was held by the TU-95 Bear bomber? It lists a 575 MPH top speed.
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ambientFLIER 8:49PM (11/19/2007)
They probably mean in current production or something. As far as I know, the TU isn't being made anymore. And yeah, it was friggin fast for a huge prop plane. And LOUD.
Yago Bal 6:06PM (11/19/2007)
ohhhh What a beautifull aircraft!!! Just look at those canard wings! I Love the backwards turboprops concept.
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chuck goolsbee 6:27PM (11/19/2007)
"Aerodynamics are for people who can't build engines."
--Enzo Ferrari
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xbird 6:41PM (11/19/2007)
Wow, so I guess you've never seen the Wright Flyer before
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james 6:46PM (11/19/2007)
how is that the same?
ps i found a cool car blog http://www.tengears.com
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RG 6:49PM (11/19/2007)
Hey, this is one instance where a Honda is faster than a Ferrari. :)
http://world.honda.com/HondaJet/
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Darren 9:16AM (11/20/2007)
Right on RG. I have been keeping an eye on the Hondajet for a while. It could revolutionize the light jet industry. It is interesting to see some manufacturers moving into aircraft. Porsche has made aircraft engines for Mooney for over a decade. Now you have Honda and 'Ferrari'. it should be interesting to watch.
don63011 6:52PM (11/19/2007)
If I remember correctly Beechcraft built an aircraft very similar to this about 20 yrs ago. I never saw one on the ground but occassionally one in the air on approach to the local airport,had a very distinctive sound.
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John B 9:34PM (11/19/2007)
Burt Rutan designed the Beech Starship in the mid '80's with certification in the late '80's. The plane wasn't commercially successful and was withdrawn from the market (most of the aircraft were leased).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beechcraft_Starship
BTW - a Piaggio is based out of Buttonville airport in Richmond Hill (a northern suburb of Toronto). It has a very distinct sound which is easy to pick out as it passes overhead. Neat looking plane.
"The P.180 makes a distinctive square wave noise when passing overhead, similar to the Beech Starship, due to wing wake and engine exhaust effects on the propeller. It is relatively noisy compared to most turboprop aircraft."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piaggio_P180_Avanti
why not the LS2/LS7? 9:32PM (11/19/2007)
The Beechcraft Starship. It was like this, but even better looking and is about 20 years old now!
http://www.bobscherer.com/Pages/Starship.htm
The plane is amazing. It's sad there are so few around now.
WillDaThrill 7:36PM (11/19/2007)
Once again, another item with a Ferrari name on it. Nothing on the item has Ferrari parts on it.
Your name is such a high priced whore now.
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AM 12:15AM (11/20/2007)
I believe there is only one Starship around, as Raytheon bought all of the rest and scrapped them, so they wouldn't have to support them anymore. It wasn't nearly as refined as the Piaggio, or as fast.
Linda 2:22PM (11/24/2007)
YES ---LIKE THE DONALD TRUMP BRAND OF THE OVERPRICED SPORT-SET.
Joe 8:13PM (11/19/2007)
It is exactly the same as the Wright Flyer. A canard configuration describes having the elevators in front of the wing. This aircraft has it, so did the Wright Flyer.
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Kri 4:41AM (11/20/2007)
Piaggio does not really sponsor Ferrari racing cars, it's a bit the other way around, Ferrari helped out Piaggio Aero, which was in dire straits. While the plane is excellent and has been around for decades now, the unconventional layout and pricing matching those of a jet have held customers back. The fact that it's not from a large manufacturer with a global support base is another reason. The great things about it are the triplane layout (canards, wings and horizontal tail), the much larger cabin than you'd get in any of it's competitors, including something approaching standing height in the cabin, and the sheer beauty of the design.
As for fastest turboprop, far off, as already pointed out. The Tu-95, the Tu-126 and the Tu-114 were all masively faster and the Tu-95 is in theory still in low rate prodction - in any case I suppose no more Piaggios are made these days than Tu-95s ;) The Tu-114 was even a civilian airliner. Until the advent of the 747 it was the plane with the largest seating capacity and longest range. JAL leased some off Aeroflot as it was the only aircraft capable of Tokio - Moscow non-stop flights back in the day.
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Laiconna 3:15PM (11/24/2007)
This should be interesting. They already make a great muscle car, the plane should be just as competetive. For thos who can afford it, this should be great.
http://www.blackplanet.com/laiconna
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Bob WIlliams 4:31PM (11/24/2007)
As a (thankfully) former Ferrari owner, I can tell you that I would NEVER fly in ANYTHING made by that company. It's the only car I've ever owned that has locked me out, suffered complete brake failure and been driven to the shop as often as to the mall.
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Phart 5:25PM (11/24/2007)
While a very novel concept, the canard design will never be viable in mainstream production. It is iheritely dangerous and cannot recover from a stall or flat spin. I doubt it could recover well from a power dive either. Neat looking but dangerous.
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toetag 12:05AM (11/25/2007)
recovery from stall? Canards don't stall, once the AOA gets to the point that wings stall, the nose falls and the canard begins flying again.