Piaggio PD.808

PD.808
The prototype Piaggio PD.808 at the 1966 Hanover Air Show wearing Italian Air Force markings
Role Business & military jet
Manufacturer Piaggio Aero
Designer Douglas Aircraft Company
First flight 29 August 1964
Introduction November 1966
Primary user Italian Air Force
Number built 24
Unit cost
$350,000-$400,000 in 1961[1]

The Piaggio PD.808 was designed by the Douglas Aircraft Company of Long Beach, California, as a business jet.

Development and history

No orders were received by Douglas, and the complete project was bought by Piaggio Aero, which flew the first prototype in August 1965. Piaggio also failed to secure any worthwhile commercial interest, but a few examples were taken by the Italian Air Force.

Only 24 examples of this type, with low-set wings and aft-mounted turbojet engines, were produced, and 22 of these went to the Italian Air Force. The first aircraft were configured for the utility role, but the last six aircraft were completed as electronic platforms with cabin accommodation for specialist electronic intelligence equipment and its three operators.

Variants

A PD.808 preserved at Lucca, Italy

Preserved aircraft

An example, previously operated by the Italian Air Force is publicly displayed at Lucca, Italy.

Operators

 Italy

Specifications (PD.808)

PD.808 in a special commemorative colour scheme at the aircraft show Giornata Azzurra 2006

Data from Jane's Aircraft Recognition Guide [3]

General characteristics

Performance

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Piaggio PD.808.
  1. Flying Magazine: 24. August 1961. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. "Piaggio PD.808" Aeronautica Italiana
  3. Rendall, David (1995). Jane's Aircraft Recognition Guide. Glasgow, UK: HarperCollinsPublishers. p. 505. ISBN 0-00-470980-2.
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