RUAG and Piaggio complete first retrofit landing gear upgrade on a Piaggio P180 Avanti II

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.

BlueSky Business Aviation News | 27th April 2017 | Issue #414

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