The Piaggio PD.808 was an Italian business jet built by Piaggio. It was designed as a joint venture between Piaggio and
Douglas Aircraft Company
The Douglas Aircraft Company was an American aerospace manufacturer based in Southern California. It was founded in 1921 by Donald Wills Douglas Sr. and later merged with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967 to form McDonnell Douglas; it then operated as ...
of
Long Beach
Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California.
Incorporate ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, United States.
Design and development
Originally named the PD.808 Vespa Jet the business jet was designed in a joint venture between Piaggio and the Douglas Aircraft Company.
The basic design work was carried out by Douglas and the prototype was built at the Piaggio factory at Finale Ligure.
[Simpson 1991, pp. 232–233]
The PD.808 was a low-wing cantilever cabin-monoplane with tip-tanks and powered by two rear-mounted
Bristol Siddeley Viper 525 turbojets. It has retractable
tricycle landing gear
Tricycle gear is a type of aircraft undercarriage, or ''landing gear'', arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has a single nose wheel in the front, and two or more main wheels slightly aft of the center of gravity. Tricycle g ...
and was originally designed with a cabin for a pilot and six-passengers.
The first Viper 525-powered
prototype
A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototyp ...
(with Italian Serial Number ''MM577'') first flew on 29 August 1965, this was followed by a second Viper 525 powered prototype and two civil demonstrators.
The company tried to interest commercial operators (including offering a
General Electric CJ610
The General Electric CJ610 is a non-afterburning turbojet engine derived from the military J85, and is used on a number of civilian business jets. The model has logged over 16.5 million hours of operation. Civilian versions have powered busines ...
variant) but the only interest was from the
Italian Air Force
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march = (Ordinance March of the Air Force) by Alberto Di Miniello
, mascot =
, anniversaries = 28 March ...
as a liaison, training and radar calibration aircraft with an order for 25.
The Italian Air Force aircraft were powered by Viper 526 turbojets.
Variants
![Piaggio-Douglas PD-808](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Piaggio-Douglas_PD-808.JPG)
*PD-808VIP: VIP transport.
*PD-808TA: navigation
trainer.
*PD-808RM (''radiomisure''): radio calibration, four-built
*PD-808GE (''guerra elettronica''): aircraft modified for
Electronic warfare
Electronic warfare (EW) is any action involving the use of the electromagnetic spectrum (EM spectrum) or directed energy to control the spectrum, attack an enemy, or impede enemy assaults. The purpose of electronic warfare is to deny the opponen ...
, PD-808GE1 entered service in 1972, the PD-808GE2 in 1977.
*PD-808TF: Proposed
turbofan
The turbofan or fanjet is a type of airbreathing jet engine that is widely used in aircraft engine, aircraft propulsion. The word "turbofan" is a portmanteau of "turbine" and "fan": the ''turbo'' portion refers to a gas turbine engine which ac ...
-powered version. Not built.
Operators
;
*
Italian Air Force
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march = (Ordinance March of the Air Force) by Alberto Di Miniello
, mascot =
, anniversaries = 28 March ...
operated 22 Piaggio PD.808 from 1970 until 2003
Accidents and incidents
On 18 June 1968 one of the demonstration aircraft ''I-PIAI'' crashed in bad-weather when it flew into the side of Mount Jaizkibel, near San Sebastian, Spain, all six on-board including the Italian businessman
Lino Zanussi
Lino Zanussi (Pordenone, February 15, 1920 - San Sebastián, June 18, 1968) was an Italian businessman and Home appliance, appliance manufacturer.
Company history
Beginnings
Antonio Zanussi (Lino's father) was the son of a blacksmith. At the age ...
and the Piaggio chief test pilot
Davide Albertazzi were killed.
Aircraft on display
![Piaggio Douglas PD](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fd/Piaggio_Douglas_PD.808_Lucca.JPG)
;Italy
* MM62015 – PD-808GE on static display in
Lucca, Tuscany. It was previously operated by the Italian Air Force.
* MM61961 - PD-808GE on static display outside the Museo Storico dell'Aeronautica Militare di Vigna di Valle (
Italian Air Force Museum
The Italian Air Force Museum is an aircraft museum at Vigna di Valle, on Lake Bracciano (Lazio), in central Italy. It is operated by the . The museum's collection has an emphasis on Italian machines and seaplanes. While maintaining the technical a ...
in
Vigna di Valle
''Vigna'' is a genus of plants in the legume family, Fabaceae, with a pantropical distribution.Aitawade, M. M., et al. (2012)Section ''Ceratotropis'' of subgenus ''Ceratotropis'' of ''Vigna'' (Leguminosae–Papilionoideae) in India with a new ...
), with "Ultimo Volo 17.5.03 (Final Flight 17-5-'03)" titles.
Specifications (PD.808)
References
External links
{{Douglas aircraft
Douglas aircraft
1960s Italian business aircraft
1960s Italian military utility aircraft
PD.808
Twinjets
Low-wing aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1964
Cruciform tail aircraft