What kind of plane is this?

[The_Eric]

I was driving home past our little airport one evening and something odd caught my eye. Pulled in for a better view and saw an interesting plane - outside of the experimental world, I've never seen anything like it before.

Also saw this bird parked close by.. Both are a bit bigger than our little airport is sees on a daily basis

 

[Astro14]

Piaggio Avanti.

Piaggio P.180 Avanti - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Jim K]

"What Kind of Plane is This?"
I can`t tell you . I`m plane crazy.

 

[The_Eric]

Piaggio Avanti.

Piaggio P.180 Avanti - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Thanks! Seems a unique and probably comparatively expensive plane to be landing around my parts..

I'm not super knowledgeable, but looks like good performance?

 

[Astro14]

Amazing performance for a turboprop. Near jet speeds. Very quiet. Short take off and landing roll compared with most jets. A truly unique design.

 

[The_Eric]

Wow! Very cool, thanks for your input.


Any ideas on the second bird?

 

[Astro14]

Cessna Citation. Couldn’t tell you the precise model.

Fairly common. Slow for a jet, and modest ceiling, but good short field performance, and inexpensive, for a jet.

 

[The_Eric]

Much appreciated.

 

[Astro14]

1980 Cessna 550 Citation II. JT15 engines. A solid, reliable airplane.

Cessna Citation II - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[The_Eric]

1980 Cessna 550 Citation II. JT15 engines. A solid, reliable airplane.

Cessna Citation II - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

A 1980? How do you know that? Is that something you can look up the tail number and see it's details? Like a car license plate lookup?

 

[Astro14]

A 1980? How do you know that? Is that something you can look up the tail number and see it's details? Like a car license plate lookup?

That’s exactly what I did. You can look up every “N” number.

 

[Cujet]

Amazing performance for a turboprop. Near jet speeds. Very quiet. Short take off and landing roll compared with most jets. A truly unique design.

They have a unique sound too. The props operate in the turbine's exhaust, and are behind the wing, so there is a mix of prop-interaction noises that are so distinct, you know it's a Piaggio. We always called them "buzz jets". The US Piaggio sales office was upstairs to my office at Jet Aviation PBI. I'd talk with the folks there regularly.

The later versions could cruise at 400Kts in the FL300 range. Slower up high though.

In real world terms, the Piaggio could go from FL to NY in just over 3 hours. Our PC12 turboprop can do the same trip in 4 hours (unless there is a headwind) and the Gulfstream G600 can do it in 1.9 hours. The Piaggio is well positioned between turboprops and jets. I always liked them and kind of wish they were more popular. The interiors were quite nice and spacious for such a small plane! I hear they are jet-quiet inside due to the aft mounted engines.

 

[Cujet]

Cessna Citation. Couldn’t tell you the precise model.

Fairly common. Slow for a jet, and modest ceiling, but good short field performance, and inexpensive, for a jet.

Looks like a Cessna Citation II. Interestingly, it's not much faster than the Piaggio! They don't have heated leading edges for icing conditions and instead rely on inflatable boots. Despite some claims that boots work well, boots are not a viable way to operate an "all weather" aircraft.

The interiors on this size Cessna tube are very tight, with little room between the seats. It is nowhere near a "stand up" cabin, whereas the Piaggio comes very close. I'm kind of a bigger guy (not fat, just wide shoulders) and I have a bit of a time fitting into the cabin of a Citation jet and actually have to force myself between some models with wider seats. Although many of these Citation's do have a real lav. These are single pilot planes and make for good owner/operator jets. Put the kids in the back.

They are fun jets to fly, flight controls are responsive and the straight wing handling characteristics are very pleasant.

 

[wpod]

Cessna Citation. Couldn’t tell you the precise model.

Fairly common. Slow for a jet, and modest ceiling, but good short field performance, and inexpensive, for a jet.

A beginners jet.

 

[MRC01]

There's been a Piaggio like that flying around my home airport KBFI for many years. It has a distinctive sound in the air and looks super cool. I saw it just yesterday in fact getting ready to take off on 32 L while I was on final about to land on 32 R.

 

[Slow Car Sport Mode]

@Astro14 I know it is far away and slightly blurry, but. I do not want to get too close to the fenced-off airfield here.. I feel like this should be as simple as "That is a squirrel, that is a fox and that is a deer" to you, totally elementary: (private planes)

Summertime. All the classic cars and nice planes and boats are out.. Every weekend at least..

My guess is you are looking at the window outlines.

I don't know what I am looking at.

 

[97prizm]

I was driving home past our little airport one evening and something odd caught my eye. Pulled in for a better view and saw an interesting plane - outside of the experimental world, I've never seen anything like it before.

Also saw this bird parked close by.. Both are a bit bigger than our little airport is sees on a daily basis

View attachment 104439View attachment 104440

Cessna Citation 550. Manufactured in 1980 Fractional ownership. Technically its a Citation 2 which is a stretched version of the Citation model 1. You can plug in the N number into the FAA database.

 

[MParr]

I’ve only seen one Piaggio. I heard it before I saw it. It was the sound that got my attention. They are beautiful planes.