Sent you a PM. Connect me with that company please. I would buy the extra fuel in a heartbeat.

I looked at an option with turtle pak but it would have been a temp solution on a ferry permit. Some people seem to ‘reuse’ the temp setup on a recurring basis.

Wasn’t interested in that and wanted something more official.

Have you priced the factory mod?

You cannot do factory Mod on an Avanti I

The factory mod is not that good. If you do not carry passengers easiest modification I am told is to add tank to luggage area to allow up to 60 gallons. This can be for any of the 3 Piaggio models. You won’t be able to use it for luggage if you are flying full fuel. If you need more juice then you have to do a bigger upgrade. I am shocked nobody has done this to their plane…

I have been told by FSDO field approval for an auxiliary tank is only allowed under a ferry permit on a turbine plane.

Have you spoken to anyone else who has said different?

The plumbing into the fuel system is supposedly tricky as well.

Other issue with baggage box is if flying solo, you would need an additional 400lbs of ballast on my plane to stay within CG limit.

If nobody has done this, I guess we can start by opening up an inquiry with FAA about how to do this for P180. It is a Part - 135 process, I am not sure if it has to undergo STC approval also, but it has definitely been done on turbo prop aircraft for permanent range extension, just not this aircraft yet besides the manufactures one tank upgrade. Unless someone has already done it and can advise us...

One thing is for sure, permanent auxiliary fuel tanks are allowed on planes like this, particularly in the luggage compartment and inside the main cabin. The cost of it, the process for permitting and approvals, etc. is unknown... Manufacturer got an STC for a closet tank on one of the models, there are definitely other options than what they came up with...

This would be kind of a deal killer for P180s - the cg would go too far aft.

Yes, the 400+ lbs tank was put in the bathroom closet of the Avanti 2. Not sure what the max would be for luggage compartment until we test it out ... We may have to move the battery and AC components around to push to force auxiliary tank further forward. It is all trial and error until we test it, unless someone already has done it...

apart from the costs, in which aspects it is not good?

apart from the costs, in which aspects it is not good?

When I got my Piaggio, I was really torn between getting a <2005 for Garmin retrofit, or getting an Evo with the extended tank. The extra ~60g actually would save me a ton of fuel stops. I ended up prioritizing the Garmin avionics but a G3000 Evo with extended tanks would sure be appealing . I do think I would feel the loss of space in either the baggage compartment or the closet though. It's a tricky issue. And based on what I've seen when the plane is in maintenance, it doesn't seem like there's a lot of wasted space in the plane ANYWHERE.

When I spoke to Piaggio USA about a new evo, they said that the extended range version actually requires structural changes to the plane to support the closet fuel tank. That led me to think an aftermarket addition would be a challenge.

But if a company is working on it, I would definitely be interested to learn more.

From a CG perspective, what the plane really needs is a fuel tank inside a dummy autopilot, like from the movie airplane.

This company holds most of the STCs for auxiliary tank upgrades on aircraft MUCH SMALLER than the P180. (http://griggsaircraft.com/fabrication/aux_fuel_systems) If you look at what they are doing, they install a single 30 gallon tank or a series of smaller tanks like this to increase range. The "upgrade" done by Piaggio, on the Avanti 2, was actually NOT an upgrade at all. It was simply a feature they had developed exclusively for use on their newest aircraft that they realized could be retrofitted to one older versions.


Piaggio is primarily interested in selling newer aircraft, NOT making the experience of older aircraft owners more beneficial. They have little financial interest in aiding you in enhancing an aircraft they already sold you beyond the newer one they are currently selling. Nobody has developed a bonified STC for auxiliary fuel tanks for this aircraft unfortunately. However based on what has been done for other turbo props, smaller than this one, there are a bunch of options for smaller tank instillations in a number of locations. Keep in mind 30 gallon tanks are ~180 lbs full. If this aircraft can carry people and luggage of that weight there is no way anyone is going to claim to me with a straight face that I need to modify the structure of it to add auxiliary tanks of this type in multiple places. Discussing this with Piaggio is a waste of oxygen. Their attitude towards existing owners is one of the reasons why this is not as popular an aircraft as it should be.

Well, we can change it. Anyone is free to develop an STC for them. I think it would be totally feasible to develop a gear inspection/overhaul STC that doesn't take you to the cleaners. Or an aux tank. Someone just needs to do it.

Adam - Piaggio is currently talking with one of the well known Piaggio shops on developing a new stc for the Mag gear on the 1.

If your not aware, there are no longer any approved overhaulers in the US now that Appro has stopped service on the current gear.

The rumor is it will be less than the current price stc of the Mag gear upgrade on the 2...but that still leaves a lot to be desired in terms of price.

And it's not a sure thing. The shop is not sure how much of a market there is for such and upgrade so....

O&N developed the Silver Eagle, a modified Cessna P210 with a 450 HP Rolls-Royce [Allison 250] engine. I knew Myron Olson and visited his outstanding facility several times at Seamans airport (2500 foot runway).

O&N improved the endurance issue of the P210 with a 29-gallon aux tank in the baggage area.
Myron also modified a Cessna 340, the Silver Eagle 340.

Unfortunately O&N closed its doors in 2016 after Myron passed away.

Griggs Aircraft Refinishing has taken over O&N STCs. Griggs is located at a Skyhaven Airport, a 2007 foot long runway.

FMI: https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all ... lver-eagle
https://www.aviationconsumer.com/aircra ... hat-works/

That said, one thing is to hand-craft a 29 gallon baggage tank for a Cessna 210, but it is a totally different endeavor to develop an STC for a complex, high performance, high altitude aircraft such as the Avanti.

I doubt Griggs has the willingness, knowhow, capability and resources to develop an STC for the Avanti. BWDIK.