You're making me D-IZZY!
Elegant, sleek and, above all, amazingly fast—that’s the Piaggio P.180 Avanti. This passenger and business aircraft, registered as D-IZZY with manufacturer serial number (MSN) 1034, was operated by AirGO Private Airline GmbH, a German airline based at Mainz-Finthen Airfield, and was built in 2000 by Piaggio Aerospace as part of the Piaggio Avanti series. Its Italian design makes the plane unique and very popular. But its performance is also something to write home about. The speed and range of the Piaggio P.180 Avanti are impressive: it can fly faster and farther than other aircraft in its category, holding its own against other light jets. Since the Piaggio P.180 Avanti can also serve very small airports, it is the most flexible aircraft in business aviation.
The model’s maiden flight took place in September 1987, and the first production aircraft were delivered in 1990. By 2006, around 110 Piaggio P-180 Avanti aircraft are thought to have left the factory—one of them was our D-IZZY. Incidentally, AirGO founders Daniela Flierl and Albrecht Flierl were in the cockpit as captain and co-pilot, respectively, on both its first and final flights, with a water cannon salute greeting the couple on both occasions.
The Piaggio P180 Avanti has an unmistakable look, with its small front wing on the nose making it instantly recognizable. This unusual design drastically reduces weight and drag, which has a very positive impact on performance and cost efficiency. The plane’s fuselage forms a continuous, aerodynamically shaped curve from nose to tail. The Avanti’s perfect, streamlined profile minimizes drag and maximizes performance. The propeller blades’ “pusher” design also reduces air turbulence that interferes with the wing’s aerodynamics. This makes the Avanti far more aerodynamic than the traditional propeller design of other propeller-driven aircraft, such as the King Air.
The P180 Avanti boasts an incredibly spacious and comfortable cabin that is considerably larger than those of competing private jets, with an impressive 1.75 m of headroom. At a speed of 400 kt or Mach 0.7, the Avanti is as fast as a light jet, but consumes just 60% of the fuel and has room for up to 7 passengers. It is also one of the quietest business jets on the market, whether turbojet or turboprop, with a noise level of just 68 dBA, making it quieter than many mobile phone ringtones. Our D-IZZY was based at Avignon Airport in southern France, forming part of Europe’s largest Piaggio Avanti fleet. It was ferried from Avignon to Mönchengladbach for its final dismantling in 2021.
We’re thrilled to welcome the Italian star to our Aviationtag family! Have you got your D-IZZY piece yet?
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