# What the hell kind of an airplane was \*THAT\*? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 28, 2016, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-kind-of-an-airplane-was-that/753343 "2016-04-28T15:52:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-kind-of-an-airplane-was-that/753343/1 "2016-04-28T15:52:21Z")
Just what the title says, really - can you identify this plane from my description? Around 8:30 (Pacific) this morning, I saw a new-to-me airplane heading northwest from McCarron Airport in Las Vegas. It looked vaguely like a hammerhead shark, with two short wings (or maybe just wing-like fins) close to the nose of the airplane. The full-size wings looked to be set farther back than most planes. It was a two engine prop plane (one on each wing), but the propellers were aft of the wings. I’ve never seen a plane like this before, and I was just wondering what it was. ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@Winston\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Smith)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-kind-of-an-airplane-was-that/753343/2 "2016-04-28T15:55:31Z")
Piaggio P.180 Avanti ETA: [Piaggio P.180 Avanti - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piaggio_P.180_Avanti) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-kind-of-an-airplane-was-that/753343/3 "2016-04-28T15:56:26Z")
> [@Winston\_Smith](#): > > Piaggio P.180 Avanti [That was going to be my guess](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piaggio_P.180_Avanti). ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-kind-of-an-airplane-was-that/753343/4 "2016-04-28T16:02:11Z")
That’s it! Three minutes is as fast as I’ve seen anything answered - thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-kind-of-an-airplane-was-that/753343/5 "2016-04-28T16:42:20Z")
Because of the push prop and canard description, before looking at the other guesses I was going to guess a Burt Rutan design of some sort, maybe the [Beechcraft Starship (images)](https://www.google.com/search?q=Beechcraft+Starship&client=safari&hl=en-us&prmd=ivsn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwipuvXK3rHMAhVG92MKHa19C6EQ_AUIBygB&biw=1024&bih=672). Well, maybe that’s what it was. Maybe it wasn’t the Piaggio. Burt Rutan had (still has?) his shop in Mojave CA, which is close to Vegas. Is the OP certain it’s the Piaggio s/he saw, and not the Beech Starship? As a related aside, [here are other Burt Rutan designs including Voyager flown by his brother and Jeana Yeager](https://www.google.com/search?q=burt+rutan+aircraft&client=safari&hl=en-us&prmd=vni&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiRsLbe3bHMAhVD7WMKHbT4BOgQ_AUICSgD&biw=1024&bih=672). Beautiful airplanes does he design, yes. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-kind-of-an-airplane-was-that/753343/6 "2016-04-28T16:54:34Z")
It was Piaggio, outbound to Wichita… > **[N23RF Flight Tracking and History 28-Apr-2016 (KLAS-KAAO) - FlightAware](https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N23RF/history/20160428/1445Z/KLAS/KAAO)** > > Flight status, tracking, and historical data for N23RF 28-Apr-2016 (KLAS-KAAO) including scheduled, estimated, and actual departure and arrival times. eta: [Interesting paint job](https://flightaware.com/photos/view/130632-98863506aa744569cd6faecbee1d1f3f133e99e9/aircrafttype/P180). Very orca-like. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-kind-of-an-airplane-was-that/753343/7 "2016-04-28T17:11:34Z")
Cool. And, interesting paint scheme. ---
**Author:** ![Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/channing_idaho_banks/32/250_2.png) [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Channing_Idaho_Banks)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-kind-of-an-airplane-was-that/753343/8 "2016-04-28T17:31:24Z")
> [@](#): > > Alan Parker, chairman of the Naples Municipal Airport Authority’s technical committee, described the Avanti as “irritating loud” and compared the high pitched sound “to fingernails on a chalkboard”. Wikipedia ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2016, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-kind-of-an-airplane-was-that/753343/9 "2016-04-28T18:59:54Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > Well, maybe that’s what it was. Maybe it wasn’t the Piaggio. Burt Rutan had (still has?) his shop in Mojave CA, which is close to Vegas. Is the OP certain it’s the Piaggio s/he saw, and not the Beech Starship? Looks like **Pork Rind** already settled this, but the plane I saw had a conventional tail - not a Starship. “Irritating loud” and “fingernails on a chalkboard” sound right too - that’s why I noticed it.