Piaggio PD.808
| Piaggio-Douglas PD.808 | |
|---|---|
 Piaggio PD.808 (Memorial to the Italian pilot Carlo Del Prete (1897–1928) in Lucca ) |
|
| Type: | Business jet |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
August 29, 1964 |
| Commissioning: |
November 1966 |
| Production time: |
1964-1968 |
| Number of pieces: |
24 |
The Piaggio PD.808 , also known as the Piaggio-Douglas PD.808 , is a business jet aircraft designed by the Douglas Aircraft Company in the USA and built by Piaggio in Italy . The first flight took place in 1964, with most of the machines ordered by the Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare) and used until 2003.
history
Due to a lack of interest and corresponding orders from the United States Navy (USN) , the project, originally started in 1957, was sold by the Douglas Aircraft Company to the Italian manufacturer Piaggio on April 21, 1961 after long negotiations. He completed the first prototype in August 1964 and carried out the first flight with it on August 29, 1964 from Genoa airport with Evasio Ferreti and Maresciallio Francesco Lanza on board. Approval from the Italian authorities and the FAA was granted on November 26, 1966.
On June 18, 1968, the third prototype I-PIAI crashed during a demonstration flight on Mount Jaizkibel near San Sebastian in bad weather. All six people on board, including Italian entrepreneur Lino Zanussi and Piaggio chief test pilot Davide Albertazzi , were killed. Douglas withdrew from the program shortly afterwards and further sales efforts were futile.
A total of only 24 machines were produced, including three prototypes. In addition to the third prototype, which had five-seater luxury equipment, there was another machine with civil registration (I-PIAL), which was mainly used as a “chase aircraft ” in the development of the Piaggio P.180 Avanti. The remaining 20 machines were ordered by the Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare Italiana - AMI) and some of the aircraft delivered from April 1970 were used for electronic warfare .
The last VIP PD.808 was decommissioned in March 2001, the last for electronic warfare on May 17, 2003 at the AMI. Several copies have been preserved.
Accidents
- On September 15, 1993, a PD-808TP lost an engine after taking off from Istrana and crashed.
variants
- PD.808VIP : VIP transport
- PD.808ECM : Electronic Countermeasures
- PD.808TA : Navigation trainer
- PD.808RM : radio monitoring
- PD.808GE : Electronic Warfare
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 2 |
| Passengers | per configuration up to 9 |
| length | 12.85 m |
| Span with tanks | 13.20 m |
| height | 4.80 m |
| Max. Takeoff mass | 8,165 kg |
| Empty mass | 4,830 kg set-up mass |
| Engine type | two Piaggio Viper Mk.526 |
| Engine power | 1,524 kp |
| Top speed | 850 km / h at an altitude of 6,000 m |
| Service ceiling | 13,700 m |
| normal range | 2,100 km |
See also
literature
- Flying Magazine: August 24, 1961.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Riccardo Niccoli: Transatlantic Corporate - The Piaggio-Douglas PD.808 . In: AIR Enthusiast No.113 September / October 2004, p. 25
- ↑ a b c d FlugRevue March 2018, Piaggio PD-808 - Flotter Italiener , pp. 80–83
- ↑ Rendall, David (1995). Jane's Aircraft Recognition Guide . Glasgow, UK: HarperCollinsPublishers. p. 505, ISBN 0-00-470980-2 .
