Piaggio P.166

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P.166
Piaggio P166 Albatross ZU-NJZ (Ex SAAF 898) (2) (6925889329).jpg
General information
Type Utility aircraft
National originItaly
Manufacturer Piaggio Aero
Number built~154
History
First flight26 November 1957
Developed from Piaggio P.136

The Piaggio P.166 is an Italian twin-engine pusher-type utility aircraft developed by Piaggio Aero. The aircraft model name was Portofino, and is also known as Albatross in South African military service.

Contents

Design and development

The basic P.166 was a development of the P.136 amphibian and flew for the first time on 26 November 1957. [1] The P.166 had a new fuselage and tail unit but retained the wing and engines from the P.136. Several were purchased for use as executive transports or as feeder and taxi aircraft. The improved P.166B was more powerful and had up to ten seats; a prototype was first flown on 27 March 1962.

A further version, the 12-seater P.166C with improved undercarriage, first flew on 2 October 1964.

A turboprop-powered variant, the P.166D, was developed with Lycoming LTP101 engines and it first flew on 3 July 1976.

Variants

P.166
Prototypes powered by 340 hp (254 kW) Lycoming GSO-480-B1C6 engines, three built. [2]
P.166AL1
First production version with non-slanted cockpit side windows. Accommodation for two pilots and six–eight passengers. Powered by 340 hp (250 kW) Lycoming GSO-480-B1C6 engines, [3] 29 built. [2]
P.166B Portofino
Revised, more powerful version with longer nose. Powered by two 380 hp (283 kW) Lycoming IGSO-540-A1C engines. [4] Five built. [5]
P.166BL2/APH
Photo survey aircraft for Italian Air Force. Two built. [6]
ZS-MMI, an ex-South African Air Force P.166S Albatross SAAF Piaggio P166 01.jpg
ZS-MMI, an ex-South African Air Force P.166S Albatross
P.166CL2
Feederliner version of P.166B with external landing gear pods to allow a revised cabin giving room for up to 12 passengers. [7] Two built. [5] or another source gives four built [2]
P.166DL3
Light utility transport version, powered by two 450 kW (600 hp) Lycoming LTP101-600 turboprop engines. [8] 14 built including sub-variants. [2]
P.166DL3/APH
Photo survey aircraft version of -DL3. Six built for Italian Air Force. [9]
P.166DL3/MAR
Maritime patrol version of DL3. Two built for Somalia. [10]
P.166DL3/SEM
Paramilitary maritime patrol (SEM - Sorveglianza Ecologia e Marittima - Maritime and ecological surveillance) version of DL3. 12 aircraft built for Italian Coast Guard and ten for Guardia di Finanza . [11]
P.166DP1
Re-engined version with 615 shp (459 kW) Pratt & Whitney PT6A-121 turboprops. Eight converted (two from -DL3 and six from -DL3/SEM) for Guardia di Finanza. [12]
P.166M
Military version of P.166A, 49 built for Italian air force. [6]
P.166S Albatross
Coastal patrol, search and rescue version of the South African Air Force with longer P.166B-type nose and larger tip tanks, 20 built. [10]

Operators

Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia [13] [14]
Italian Guardia Costiera Piaggio P-166DL3-SEM, Italy - Coast Guard JP6366883.jpg
Italian Guardia Costiera
United Nations Humanitarian Air Service Piaggio P-166DL-3APH, Italy - Air Force JP6734983.jpg
United Nations Humanitarian Air Service
Flag of Italy.svg  Italy
Flag of Somalia.svg  Somalia
Flag of South Africa (1928-1982).svg  South Africa

Notable accidents and incidents

Specifications (P.166-DL3)

Flight deck Piaggio P-166DL3-SEM, Italy - Guardia di Finanza JP7365578.jpg
Flight deck

Data fromJane's all the World's Aircraft 1988–89 [18]

General characteristics

14.69 m (48 ft 2.5 in) with tip-tanks

Performance

139 km/h (86 mph; 75 kn) flaps down, gear down
2,084 km (1,295 mi; 1,125 nmi) with max standard fuel (wing and tip tanks)
4,270 m (14,000 ft) on one engine
3 m/s (580 ft/min) on one engine

See also

Related development

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References

  1. Taylor 1961, p. 105.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Simpson 1991, pp.232-233
  3. Taylor 1961, p. 106.
  4. Taylor 1965, p. 97.
  5. 1 2 Taylor 1976, p. 114.
  6. 1 2 3 Nicolli 2012, p. 88.
  7. Stroud 1994, p. 66.
  8. 1 2 Nicolli 2012, p. 89.
  9. 1 2 Nicolli 2012, pp. 88–90.
  10. 1 2 Nicolli 2012, pp. 88–89.
  11. 1 2 3 Nicolli 2012, p. 90.
  12. 1 2 Nicolli 2012, pp. 90–91.
  13. "VH-MMP Piaggio P.166". Air History. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  14. "Piaggio P.166". Air History. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  15. Nicolli 2012, pp. 87–88.
  16. 1 2 Marcellino 2018, p. 88.
  17. "All 13 people dead in crashed planes".
  18. Taylor, John W.R., ed. (1988). Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1988–89 (79th ed.). London: Jane's Information Group. p. 165. ISBN   0-7106-0867-5.
  19. Lednicer, David. "The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage". m-selig.ae.illinois.edu. Retrieved 16 April 2019.