On Monday at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Piper announced that it renewed its distribution partnership with the aerospace titan, making Boeing its exclusive distributor for key parts and components through 2029.

“We are thrilled to grow this partnership with Boeing,” said Ron Gunnarson, vice president of sales, marketing, and customer support at Piper. “In the coming year, look for improved response time and dedicated, Piper-specific CSR assistance.”

Piper has relied on Boeing as its primary spares depot since 2010. The latter maintains an inventory of Piper parts worth over $22 million and, according to the company, has a fill rate north of 98 percent on forecasted parts. Boeing’s Dallas-Fort Worth warehouse complements Piper depots around the world, including in Europe, to enable international shipments.

Separately, Piper on Thursday announced that it delivered four Pilot 100i’s to the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT), part of a previously agreed order for eight aircraft. FIT is a key customer for the manufacturer, operating a fleet of only Piper aircraft: Archers, Seminoles, and Warriors.

“What makes all of this even more meaningful is that a dozen of our alumni working at Piper helped build these planes,” said John Nicklow, president of FIT. “It’s a high-flying example of the power of a Florida Tech education in action.”

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The Pilot 100i has recently impacted the flight training sphere, becoming a top choice among flight schools of varying sizes. The aircraft features a full Garmin avionics suite, including the GFC 500 digital autopilot, GNX 375 transponder, G5 standby display, and G3X touch-screen PFD/MFD. It optimizes the trusted PA-28-181 for the demands of flight schools.

• READ MORE: Piper Certifies Pilot 100 and 100i Trainers

Skyborne has gained recognition for training career-focused pilots from around the world and within the U.S. Its emphasis on professional training programs has elevated its reputation, and earlier this year, it joined forces with Delta Air Lines to establish Propel Flight Academy. This strategic partnership offers students a pathway to a career with Delta, complete with financial support options. Skyborne’s outstanding industry reputation and strategic location played a pivotal role in securing this exclusive designation.

Skyborne operates a fleet of more than 50 Piper Warriors, Arrows, and Seminoles. The addition of the Pilot 100i fleet signifies its entrance into the Piper Flight School Alliance. This initiative spotlights leading training programs operating new-production Piper aircraft. Deliveries of the school’s Pilot 100i aircraft commenced last week, with the distribution schedule extending into 2025.

“Piper Aircraft is proud to partner with Skyborne, our neighbors just down the taxiway from Piper headquarters,” said Ron Gunnarson, vice president of sales, marketing, and customer support at Piper, in a release. “Skyborne has an impressive history of training professional and competent pilots using Piper fleet products, and now with the addition of the Pilot 100i, we look forward to continuing to support that legacy.”

Said Dan Peterson, Skyborne’s managing director: “We are incredibly excited to add 11 Piper Pilot 100is to our fleet of 52 Piper aircraft, With these new Pilot 100is, we will be able to continue delivering world-class training to our student pilots. Piper being our neighbor and partner has been extremely beneficial to us both, as we train the next generation of pilots, and Piper continues to provide top-of-the-line aircraft.”

Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on planeandpilotmag.com.

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The M-Class line includes the turbocharged and pressurized piston M350, the M500 turboprop, and the M600/SLS turboprop, which features the HALO safety system and Garmin Autoland. Piper said it delivered a total of 69 M-Class aircraft, 43 in the U.S. and 26 internationally. They included 19 M350s, 9 M500s, and 41 M600/SLSs. 

The Vero Beach, Florida company said deliveries in its trainer lineup, which includes the single-engine Archer family, the Pilot 100i and the twin-engine Seminole, totaled 167 aircraft. Among the trainers, Piper made 150 domestic deliveries and 17 to international customers.

• READ MORE: GAMA Reports Year-Over-Year Increase in Aircraft Shipments In a ‘Governed’ Recovery

The company attributed the increased deliveries to flight schools including ATP Flight School, Spartan College, and American Flyers enlarging their fleets. New customers joining its Piper Flight School Alliance program, including Thrust Flight and Fly Gateway, also boosted deliveries.

“Growth in our two primary aircraft markets is of paramount importance to Piper Aircraft,” said Piper president and CEO John Calcagno. “Despite the supply chain and labor challenges our industry faced this year, we were still able to deliver our aircraft as promised, create valuable enhancements across our product lineup, and pass these improvements to our Piper dealer partner network and retail customers.”

Other developments helping Piper’s business during the year included FAA approval of a Master Minimum Equipment List, or MMEL, making it easier to use the M600/SLS for Part 135 charter service. That model also received approval for operation from unpaved fields, which increases its flexibility. Last year Piper also announced its collaboration with CAE to develop a supplemental type certificate for an electric-powered PA-28-181 Archer.

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The award-winning flight school, located in Fort Myers, Florida, and based at Page Field (KFMY), is planning a five-year fleet modernization, starting with the 10 Pipers that have been delivered. 

The school also plans to purchase an additional 40 Piper aircraft over the next five years. The announcement was made Wednesday by Paragon Flight president and owner, Christopher Schoensee.

“It’s exciting to see our growth plans further unfold with the addition of this beautiful Piper aircraft, which we are confident is the training aircraft of the next generation,” Schoensee said in a statement. “It follows our groundbreaking in January for an expanded 9,000-square-foot learning center on Page Field and brings us one aircraft closer to our goal of tripling our current fleet with the additional purchase of up to 50 Piper aircraft by the end of 2027. 

• READ MORE: Piper Opens Application Period for Apprenticeship Program

“Our partnership with Piper, beginning with this first aircraft purchase, represents a milestone in the history of Paragon Flight.”

The school will focus on a training platform that uses the Piper P100i, a new model of the Piper PA-28 Archer. The Archer has been used to train pilots for more than 30 years, as part of the long-running PA-28 series. 

“Piper Aircraft is proud to work with Paragon Flight as they expand their pilot training program,” John Calcagno, Piper Aircraft president and CEO, said in a statement. “The addition of the Pilot 100i to the Paragon training curriculum will help enable them to provide a cost-effective training solution while working to cultivate a well-trained pilot pipeline for the airline industry.” 

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