PiperJet Gets Larger Cabin, Design Improvements, New Name

2014 Certification, Deliveries

Now undergoing CAD modeling and analysis in the program’s detail design phase, the first of four conforming PiperJet Altair flight test aircraft will begin flying in 2012. Certification and first customer deliveries are planned for 2014, slightly after the previously scheduled date.

“I believe our customers will accept their new delivery dates because they get a much improved and efficient aircraft with enviable performance,” Groom says.

State-of-Art Flight Deck

The airplane is equipped with an integrated flight deck. It features Garmin G3000 avionics complete with the first touch screen-controlled glass panel designed for light turbine aircraft, three displays, two touch screens and a GFC 700 automatic flight control system.

Flight controls in the new, larger PiperJet Altaire cockpit will be yokes, replacing the side stick controls flown on the PiperJet proof of concept test article. The improved aircraft will also have crew seats that are easier to access and an ergodynamic interface between pilot and avionics.

About Piper Aircraft

Piper Aircraft Inc. is headquartered in Vero Beach, Fla. A global force in aviation, Piper offers nine efficient models of single-engine and twin-engine trainer, personal and business aircraft. Piper Aircraft designs, manufactures, sells and supports the strongest and broadest single-engine product line in the industry, from high-performance pistons to turboprops to the world’s most fuel-efficient seven-person business jet, the PiperJet Altaire. With economical acquisition and operating costs, Piper airplanes deliver the best values available today and into the future. Piper is a member of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association.