RUAG Aviation and Piaggio Aerospace complete first retrofit Magnaghi Aeronautica landing gear upgrade

RUAG Aviation’s specialists in Lugano-Agno required just six weeks to complete the retrofitting and integration of the new Magnaghi system. The installation marks the culmination of an intensive process of collaboration between Piaggio Aerospace and RUAG Aviation.

The development of the Magnaghi landing gear upgrade for the P.180 Avanti II was a cooperative process from the outset. Piaggio Aerospace engineers worked on the project design and engineering, concluding with the issue of a Service Bulletin, while RUAG Aviation took care of the installation on the aircraft and provided ongoing feedback to the Piaggio Aerospace engineering team. RUAG Aviation also produced part of the installation kit. The final element of the process began in early January, with the trial installation and integration on the launch customer’s aircraft. The work was carried out by RUAG Aviation’s specialists, at the company’s facilities in Lugano – making 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.