Piaggio P.166

The Piaggio P.166 is an Italian twin-engine utility aircraft with pusher propellers, developed by Piaggio Aero from the P.136 amphibian. It kept the wing and engines of the P.136 but had a new fuselage and tail unit. The first flight was on 26 November 1957. The model name was Portofino, and the South African Air Force knew it as the Albatross. Several were bought as executive transports or as feeder and taxi aircraft. Later versions added power and seats: the P.166B flew in 1962 with up to ten seats, the 12-seat P.166C followed in 1964, and the turboprop P.166D with Lycoming LTP101 engines flew in 1976. Military and patrol versions served the Italian Air Force, the Italian Coast Guard, the Guardia di Finanza, Somalia and South Africa.