RUAG Aviation and Piaggio Aerospace have
successfully completed the very first installation in retrofit of a Magnaghi
landing gear upgrade on a customer Piaggio P.180 Avanti II aircraft.
The new upgrade replaces the aircraft’s
existing landing gear with the landing gear from Magnaghi which incorporates a
digitally controlled steering system. This is the same landing gear system as
fitted to the Avanti EVO. Benefits include reduced pilot workload, improved
ground handling and substantially lower maintenance costs.
The installation, which took just six weeks to
complete at RUAG's facility in Lugano, Switzerland, marks the culmination of an
intensive process of collaboration between Piaggio Aerospace and RUAG Aviation
and makes RUAG the very first 145 Part maintenance organisation to have
retrofitted the new Magnaghi system to a P.180 Avanti II.
“We are delighted to have worked so closely
with Piaggio Aerospace on this challenging project,” says
Stephan Woodtli,
General Manager of RUAG Aviation in Lugano. “The installation required both
major electrical and structural modifications to the aircraft, but thanks to the
close cooperation of everybody involved, it has been a complete success. This
project is the very essence of what the RUAG motto is all about - Together
ahead.”
Piaggio Aerospace is also extremely satisfied
with the outcome of the project, “We thank RUAG Aviation for their highly
professional service and cooperation,” says
Renato Vaghi,
Piaggio Aerospace Chief Executive Officer. “The landing gear upgrade brings the
P.180 Avanti family closer to the standard of the Avanti EVO aircraft family and
this to very attractive conditions.”
The Magnaghi landing gear system improves
ground handling, reduces pilot workload and cuts maintenance costs thanks to a
15,000-cycle/15-year overhaul interval, compared with the 6,000-cycle/12-year
schedule of the current landing gear, while a proximity sensor system for NLG
and MLG positioning increases reliability and further reduces the need for
maintenance requirements.
“The new gear offers long-term cost savings,
reducing overhaul costs by 50 percent compared to the existing system,” says
Renato Vaghi. Moreover, the Magnaghi landing gear is designed to accommodate
other advanced features such as an anti-skid system or LED landing lights.
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