Press Release

Issued by Baykar Piaggio Aerospace.

May 16, 2011

The Piaggio Aero booth features a large scale model of the P.180 Avanti II made into a work of art by Mimmo Paladino.

Master Mimmo Paladino's art has been interpreted in 2011 and displayed using the distinctive Piaggio P.180 Avanti II aircraft.

For the first time in the world an aircraft has been painted by a contemporary artist and the Master Paladino was inspired to create this work of art from the Piaggio P.180 Avanti II because of its unique, unmistakable design.

The full size version of P.180 Avanti II "Cacciatore di Stelle" (Star Hunter) has recently been displayed in Milan at the breathtaking location of Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II from March 28th to April 28th 2011.

The metamorphosis of the P.180 Avanti into "Cacciatore di Stelle" recalls both the past and the future, through its decoration with ancestral symbols and possible new ways of communicating: constellations of signs enclosed by geometrical spaces to create a celestial map.

A 1:13 Scale model of the "Cacciatore di Stelle" will now be displayed at the Piaggio Aero Booth at EBACE 2011 (Hall 5 # 2143) to allow EBACE visitors and Media to have a close view of the work of art, together with a backstage video telling the story of this piece of art.

According to Mimmo Paladino "Art is not an end in itself, and it doesn't mean yielding to poetic attitudes: Art always implies investigating language".

"We are very proud that Master Mimmo Paladino has now been inspired by a Piaggio Aero P.180 aircraft and that he would turn it into a unique work of art."Alberto Galassi, CEO of Piaggio Aero Industries said: "The P.180 Avanti has been chosen because it can be considered a work of art itself, as an expression of Italian genius in design and engineering, that's why this creation is an unprecedented event."