Piaggio P180 Avanti II – One beautiful airplane.

One of my favorite channels to watch on my new HDTV is HD Theatre. One of the shows on HD Theatre is MegaWorld. The show highlights technologies of countries from around the world. Recently I  watched an episode that showcased the technologies of Italy and one of the companies on that show was Piaggio Aero. Piaggio Aero  produces the P180 Avanti II. The Avanti II is the worlds fastest turobprop business class aircraft, and in my opinion one of the sexiest aircraft I have ever seen. The Avanti II has a maximum cruise speed of 737 km/hr and a ceiling of 2, 500 meters. Power is provided by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-66B engines with the propellers mounted in the rear for a push configuration instead of pull. The aircraft also has a fixed canard like wing on the nose to help lift the nose of the aircraft. The Avanti II is capable of dogfight type maneuvers as well as carrying a crew of two and six passengers in comfort. The Italians have always designed everything they build with style and the Avanti II is one of the most stylish and beautiful aircraft flying today. Check it out for yourself on the Piaggio Aero web site. Man I have got to get me one of those.