Piaggio P166

The Piaggio P166 is a utility light aircraft developed by Piaggio Aero in the Sixties of the 20th century. It is the successor of the P136 Royal Gul , an amphibious plane with success.

P166 was produced in many different versions and was employed with multiple tasks: - business aircraft, - ambulance aircraft, - military operations, - formation and training, - maritime recognition and air monitoring, - air photograph.

Version P166S Albatross was provided to the South African Air Force in the Sixties.

The first post-war period production with Genoa by Rinaldo Piaggio had been the Hydravion P136. This last had wings placed high and propellent engines backwards, the height guaranteed that the engines and the propellers were clearly above the level of water with full load while the position of the engines reduced the noise inside the cabin. The Royal Gul (the royal goëland) had success as well in Italy (bought by the Aeronautica militare) as abroad where a slightly modified version is exported. The American version is that baptized Royal Gul : 40 of these seaplanes were exported with the the United States and the Canada. Although only 65 specimens of this plane was produced, Piaggio used P136 as bases for the P166 future. At the end of 1955, a team of designers stuck to P166.

The November 26th 1957, the first prototype of P166, I-RIAF, took off of Villanova d' Albenga, the airport of test of Piaggio, with the orders Aldo Gasperi. It was characterized by a great maneuverability and facilitated loading. It accepted American and Italian approval at the end of July 1958 (SPOKE) (recorded like I-PIAK). The two other models of the pre-production were used with the the United States (Tracker Corp.) and with the the United Kingdom (Mc Alphine). The Aeronautica militare required a modified version of P166, with a reinforced cabin, in 51 specimens, the greatest ordering of P166.

After 32 specimens are developed, Piaggio launches the P-166B Portofino , equipped with more powerful engines with 380 horses and a nose more lengthened (for the avionics). The Portofino was not a great success and only six specimens were produced. In October 1964, a new P-166C is launched, with a vaster cabin and a retractable landing gear. But it was also a failure and Piaggio restores the initial landing gear. It is with the tower of the South African Air Force to be interested in P166, for maritime patrols. It is the P166S with a nose slightly longer and two main doors for the pilots and of the larger tanks. Those contained 320 liters each one, which allowed him an endurance of eight or nine hours. The first plane (n° 417) made its first flight in October 1968 and was certified in February 1969. The first specimens were sent by boat to the Cape and assembled in Ysterplaat Air Force Bases.

The production continued through versions BL2 and DL2, until the DL3. P166 DL-3 is always used by the Italian Guardia di Finanza and coastguards. They were even used in missions of peace of the the United Nations in Érythrée. The last version is the DP1 (two DL3, numbers 465 and 466 were converted into DP1), with a entirely modernized Avionique and two engines Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-121.

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