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Parker Aerospace Receives Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for Modification of the Wheels and Brakes on the Piaggio Aerospace P.180 Aircraft

Parker Aerospace (NYSE:PH), a business segment of Parker Hannifin Corporation, the global leader in motion and control technologies, today announced that its Aircraft Wheel & Brake Division has received the supplemental type certificate (STC) from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the alternative retrofit configuration on the wheels and brakes of the P.180 Avanti, Avanti II, and Avanti EVO executive transport turboprop aircraft. The new aftermarket steel brake system was developed in partnership with Piaggio Aerospace, a leading Italian aircraft manufacturer active in the business, defense, and security sectors. The certification is confirmation that Parker followed the original design approval process, including flight testing, to ensure the safety and performance of the new wheel and brake system.

Improvements over the previous system

Less costly than the P.180’s previous carbon brakes, the new Parker high-performance steel brakes were engineered to maintain smoother, more consistent operation with even wear across their available life. The wheels in the new retrofit system are aluminum-forged to provide excellent corrosion resistance as well as advanced safety features that protect against manual- and thermal-induced over-pressurization. Heat shields are also included in the new design to help maintain acceptable tire temperatures.

“Taking a team approach, we worked collaboratively with Piaggio to successfully plan, design, and test a program that demonstrated absolute quality with no requested changes from the FAA,” noted Dan Basch, engineering manager at the Parker Aerospace Aircraft Wheel & Brake Division. “Our diligent planning and expertise in aerospace-grade materials resulted in a product retrofit that will bring a new stream of value to our customers’ operations,” Basch added.

Expected operator savings

“Development of the P.180 wheel and brake retrofit program began in 2016 when Parker and Piaggio both sought to solve customers’ cost reduction challenges with a solution that would neither compromise quality or add difficulty to maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) activities for their fleet mechanics,” said Parker Aircraft Wheel & Brake Business Team Leader Tom Dorinsky. “While carbon offers low-weight advantages compared to steel, its cost of material is steep. We knew that if we could integrate steel into the retrofit and ensure its performance that we could achieve drastic results for our customers’ bottom lines.”

Parker’s new retrofit solution is expected to save P.180 operators as much as 70 percent in overhaul costs.

Piaggio Aerospace managing the fleet upgrade program

The mutually designed, customized steel brake program is now offered to aircraft operators as a conversion kit through Piaggio’s P.180 wheel and brake upgrade program. The replacement kit integrates seamlessly with existing aircraft systems, requiring no aircraft or landing gear modifications for installation.

“Piaggio Aerospace is working closely with its customers to update them on the new aircraft offering so they can immediately begin to take advantage of its improved design features and potential cost savings,” explained Dorinsky. “We are proud to be part of this commitment to innovation which we believe will lead to similar endeavors between our two companies.”

Certification abroad

The Parker Aerospace Aircraft Wheel & Brake Division also received the supplemental type certificate from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and Transport Canada (TC) in February of 2019. The EASA has jurisdiction as a technical agent for the member states of the European Union.

To request a conversion kit for the P.180 Avanti, Avanti II, and Avanti EVO aircraft, operators may contact Piaggio’s spare parts office at +39 335 8105920 or spareparts@piaggioaerospace.it. Customers in North or South America can contact Piaggio America at +1 561 253 0104 or spares@piaggioamerica.com.

The Parker Aerospace stand is in hall 5, stand #C210, at the Paris Air Show, June 17-23, 2019.

About Parker Aerospace. Parker Aerospace is a global leader in the research, design, integration, manufacture, certification, and lifetime service of flight control, hydraulic, fuel and inerting, fluid conveyance, thermal management, lubrication, and pneumatic systems and components for aerospace and other high-technology markets. The company supports the world’s aircraft and aeroengine manufacturers, providing a century of experience and innovation for commercial and military aircraft.

About Parker Hannifin. Parker Hannifin is a Fortune 250 global leader in motion and control technologies. For more than 100 years the company has engineered the success of its customers in a wide range of diversified industrial and aerospace markets. Learn more at www.parker.com or @parkerhannifin.

Contacts:

Brian King
Parker Aerospace
+1 (714) 458-7416
brian.king@parker.com

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