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 post Piper, Boeing Extend Exclusive 5-Year Distribution Deal appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Piper said the M700’s maximum cruise speed of 301 ktas marks it as the fastest single-engine aircraft in the company’s history of more than 87 years. The cabin-class airplane, revealed last month, is powered by a 700 hp Pratt & Whitney PT6A-52 engine and has a range of 1,424 nm. The aircraft also is equipped with the latest version of the Garmin G3000 avionics suite that includes the Emergency Autoland feature as part of Piper’s HALO safety system.

• READ MORE: Piper Lifts the Veil on the M700 Fury, Its Fastest Single Yet

“We are thrilled to announce the U.S. certification of the Piper M700 Fury by the FAA just a month after its announcement,” said John Calcagno, president and CEO of Piper Aircraft. “And there’s more to come. The Fury is just the first step in a new generation of our M-Class product line, so watch this space, as Piper’s M-Class will be expanding both above and below what we currently offer today.”

Performance is a key selling point for the M700. Piper said the new airplane can take off and clear a 50-foot obstacle in 1,994 feet, which is a 24 percent improvement over the M600SLS that it replaces. The company also said the M700’s climb rate of 2,048 fpm is 32 percent faster than that of the M600. 

Piper said it expects to complete international validations of the M700 for Canada, Europe, the UK, and Brazil during the second half of this year. The company said it plans to begin delivering the aircraft to customers in those markets before year’s end.

The post Piper Announces FAA Type Certification for M700 Fury appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Today’s Top Pick is a 1965 Piper PA-18-160 Super Cub.

Piper’s PA-18 Super Cub evolved from the legendary J-3 and the PA-11 Cub Special that followed, but with flaps, electrical systems, and engines typically in the 150 hp range, the Super Cub performed like none of its ancestors. Known for taking off and landing within a few hundred feet or less, these airplanes came to define STOL and backcountry flying. Many wound up on oversize tires, skis, or floats, plying the Alaskan bush and other challenging environments.

Modification was the name of the game with Super Cubs, with owners tailoring the aircraft to their specialized needs. Indeed, it is difficult to find a stock Super Cub these days. Most will have at least a few upgrades to their engines, fuel systems, and airframes. Mods range from high-performance propellers and exhaust systems and lightweight starters to extended baggage compartments, external racks, and cargo pods. 

This Super Cub has 10,060 hours on the airframe and 50 hours on its Lycoming O-320 B2B engine. The aircraft received new paint and interior in 2011. Its basic VFR panel includes a Becker com radio and intercom.

Pilots looking for the singular experience of flying what many consider the grandfather of backcountry aviation should consider this 1965 Piper PA-18-160 Super Cub, which is available for $112,965 on AircraftForSale.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.

• FLYING Magazine: Aircraft Comps: Piper PA-18 Super Cub Versus the World
• FLYING Magazine: Hartzell Trailblazer Prop Available for Super Cub
• FLYING Magazine: Behind the Scenes at CubCrafters, Crafting a Cub
• Plane & Pilot: Reconnecting With An Old Friend In A Super Cub
• Plane & Pilot: Super Cub Gallery
• AVweb: Sensenich Gets Prop STC For Piper Super Cub

The post This 1965 Piper PA-18-160 Super Cub Is a Backcountry Pioneer and an ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Today’s Top Pick is a 1946 ERCO 415-C Ercoupe.

The Ercoupe 415 two-seater came about in response to a design competition organized by the Bureau of Air Commerce during the 1930s in an effort to develop an airplane that was safer than others in the fleet. Fred Weick, the engineer and aircraft designer who later would co-design Piper’s PA-25 agricultural and PA-28 personal and business aircraft, came up with the Ercoupe.

The airplane used a two-control system that linked the rudders, aileron, and steerable nose wheel through the control wheel that also operated the elevator. This system eliminated rudder pedals. The control wheel operated a lot like a steering wheel in a car, and the control setup largely eliminated stalls, spins, and ground loops—three phenomena that often resulted in accidents. People often refer to the aircraft as being stall- and spin-proof.

While the Ercoupe’s flying characteristics made it safer than many other aircraft, pilots for a time still had to receive spin training—for which they would have to use a different airplane. Others missed the ability to slip the airplane into short fields by crossing the controls—something that could not be done in the Ercoupe. Today there are many Ercoupes still flying and they have a strong following that appreciates their gentle, forgiving handling in flight and on the ground.

This Ercoupe has 1,009 hours on the airframe and 54 hours on its Continental C85 engine since overhaul. The panel includes a Garmin GTR 225 com radio, GTX 327 transponder, and UAvionix SkyBeacon ADS-B.

Pilots looking for an easy-flying, safe, vintage aircraft that fits modern light-sport criteria and still makes a splash at fly-ins should consider this 1946 ERCO 415-C Ercoupe, which is available for $28,500 on AircraftForSale.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.

• FLYING Magazine: Approachable Aircraft: Ercoupe
• FLYING Magazine: Hawaii Lessons in an Ercoupe
• Plane & Pilot: Ercoupe, Aircoupe
• The Aviation Consumer: Used Aircraft Guide: Ercoupe and Cadet

The post This 1946 ERCO 415-C Ercoupe Is an Easy to Fly ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

AeroGuard has three campuses in the U.S. and one in Saudi Arabia. Together they train more than 2,000 student pilots for careers with airlines such as Cathay Pacific and SkyWest. AeroGuard also has a number of other airline and university partners across the Middle East, India, and the rest of Asia.

• READ MORE: AeroGuard Set to Train Cathay Pacific Flight Cadets

“We are thrilled to sign this agreement with Piper Aircraft to bring 90 new Piper Archers to AeroGuard’s fleet,” said Joel Davidson, CEO of AeroGuard. “This investment represents our commitment to providing our airline partners’ student pilots with every resource they need to succeed while experiencing the highest quality flight training in the world. With these additional aircraft, AeroGuard has the capacity to welcome hundreds of new airline cadets to our pilot training programs.”

In addition to the recent order, AeroGuard said it plans to add 25 airplanes to its fast-growing fleet by the end of this year. The company also recently increased the capacity of its Phoenix campus by 30 percent with the addition of a new building.

• READ MORE: AeroGuard Provides an Accelerated Direct Path to the Airlines

“It is an honor to expand our fleet partnership with well-known Piper Flight School Alliance member AeroGuard,” said John Calcagno, president and CEO of Piper Aircraft. “We pride ourselves in the relationships we build with schools such as AeroGuard and on the training aircraft we provide them, known for their reliability and ease of use, to train the next generation of pilots.”

AeroGuard said it offers jobs as flight instructors to its U.S. student pilots when they graduate from the school’s training program. This group of more than 600 U.S. graduates helps to form an instructional staff capable of training hundreds of students.

With its expanding fleet and pipeline of instructors, AeroGuard said it is “well positioned to become the leading flight training academy in the world.”

The post AeroGuard to Acquire 90 Archers from Piper Aircraft appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

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.

The post Skyborne Signs Deal with Piper for 11 Pilot 100i Aircraft appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The Piper Cub was designed in 1930 by Clarence G. Taylor. He and his brother Gordon formed Taylor Brothers Aircraft Corp. with the financial backing of local Pennsylvania industrialist William T. Piper. Taylor’s idea was to build a simple, affordable airplane that would encourage more people to learn to fly.

The Cub sported a 35-foot wingspan and was 22 feet long. The fuselage was made of tubular steel covered in fabric, and the wings were fabric-covered wood. It weighed a total of about 800 pounds empty, 1,200 pounds fully loaded.

Originally the Cub was powered by a 20 hp engine, but this proved to be underpowered, so it was upgraded to 40 hp. This particular version, the J3C-65, has a 4-cylinder 85 hp engine. The name of the first engine was the Brownback “Tiger Kitten,” from which the airplane’s name, the Cub, playfully derives.

The Cub’s landing gear are fixed and cushioned by bungee cords covered in leather.

The two pilots sit in tandem, one behind the other, which made the Cub ideal for training with a student in front and instructor behind. When flying solo, the pilot sits in the rear seat. You have to look over the seat in front of you to see the instruments, though you do have your own stick, throttle, and rudder pedals.

Here’s a closer look at the Cub instrument panel from the front seat. Just a tachometer (rpm), airspeed indicator, compass, altimeter, and oil pressure/temperature gauges. No artificial horizon or turn coordinator, so this is strictly for VFR.

The throttle is the black knob on the left. Not only is it a fixed-pitch propeller, you don’t have a fuel/air mixture control, because presumably you won’t be flying high enough to need one. You control the throttle with your left hand and the stick with your right.

Sadly, the Taylor brothers went bankrupt during the Great Depression. Piper, a businessman with no previous experience in aviation, bought a controlling stake in the company for $761 to keep it going. That’s why I’m here at the William T. Piper Memorial Airport (KLHV) in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, where Piper relocated the factory.

Piper supported Taylor’s vision of popular aviation. Piper built a flight school next to the factory and included lessons in the price of the airplane. Piper himself learned to fly at the age of 50.

The Cub’s standard, factory paint job was chrome yellow, which came to be known as “Cub yellow” or “Lock Haven yellow.”

Piper and Taylor eventually quarreled and parted ways. Taylor formed his own company, and Piper renamed the existing company after himself. Hence, the Piper Cub. Piper steadily made incremental improvements to the design. With a maximum cruise speed of 78 knots, it had a range of 191 nm and a ceiling of 11,500 feet. In 1938, a Piper Cub sold for $1,000.

What really changed things, however, was the approach of World War II. In 1938, the U.S.  established the Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP) to instruct pilots for potential wartime needs. The CPTP operated through flight schools and universities. Students received 72 hours of ground school followed by 35 to 50 hours of flying. This curriculum established the foundation for private flight training as we know it. The program required these schools to have one airplane for every 10 students, which meant buying a lot of new aircraft—most of them Piper Cubs.

By the time CPTP was phased out in 1944, the program had trained 435,000 new pilots. Seventy-five percent of them—and 80 percent of all military pilots in WWII—performed their initial flight training in a Piper Cub. CPTP-trained pilots included African-Americans who went on to fight as part of the Tuskegee Airmen, and women who, as members of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs), served as ferry pilots to deliver and reposition aircraft.

As the war approached, privately owned Piper Cubs were being conscripted by the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) to search offshore for German U-boats, like this one I’m flying off Cape May, New Jersey. By the end of WWII, CAP pilots had flown more than 500,000 mission hours, 90 aircraft were lost, and  64 pilots were killed, including 26 lost on coastal patrol.

The Piper Cub truly came into its own, however, as an artillery spotter and staff airplane near the front lines in Europe, where it was designated the L-4 Grasshopper. This one, dubbed the Elizabeth, operated from the aircraft carrier USS Ranger during Operation Torch, the 1942 Allied invasion of North Africa.

The Elizabeth was flown by Lieutenant William Butler with observer Captain Brenton Devol, and it operated along the coast of Morocco during the invasion near Casablanca and Rabat.

In 1943, General Dwight D. Eisenhower inspected the battlefield in an L-4 Grasshopper. But the most famous L-4 of all was flown by Lieutenant Colonel Charles Carpenter, who was a 29-year-old high school history teacher when he signed up to go to war.

In autumn 1944 after the D-Day invasion, General George S. Patton’s Third Army was driving hard into eastern France, crossing the Moselle River here at Nancy in Lorraine. In Normandy, Carpenter had outfitted his L-4 with six bazookas, three on each wing strut, so he could fire on German vehicles below. He dubbed his airplane Rosie the Rocketer—a play on “Rosie the Riveter.” His single-handed attacks on German units in his Piper Cub earned Carpenter the nickname “The Mad Major” from troops and “Bazooka Charlie” from the media.

On September 18, German heavy Panzer divisions, led by large masses of Panther tanks, counterattacked against Patton’s troops here in the countryside east of Nancy. On the morning of September 20, the Germans moved in on the Fourth Armored Division’s HQ unit at the town of Arracourt (below). The fog initially protected them from Allied air attack.

As soon as the fog began to clear, however, Carpenter jumped into his L-4 and joined the battle. His favorite strategy was to climb above the Germans then corkscrew down on them, firing his bazookas at the tops of the tanks, where their armor was lightest.

Carpenter was credited with destroying four German tanks and an armored car during the Battle of Arracourt, which was one of the largest tank battles on the Western Front. Another famous figure to come out of the Battle of Arracourt—although on the ground—was Lieutenant  Colonel Creighton Abrams, who helped rally the defenders and went on to become the Army’s top tank ace of WWII.The M1 Abrams tank is named after him.

In 1945, Carpenter was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma and received an honorable discharge. He was given two years to live but ended up living (and teaching high school history) until 1966, when he died at 53.

As the L-4 Grasshopper, the Piper Cub served as an ideal artillery spotter because it could take off and land close to the front lines. Even without bazookas strapped to it, a single pilot flying one could direct more explosives at a target in the form of artillery fire than a B-29.

At its peak during WWII, the Piper Aircraft Co. produced one Cub every 20 minutes. Overall, it produced more than 20,000 J-3 Cubs before halting production in 1947. After the war, the government sold thousands of Piper Cubs to private owners, many of whom had been trained in them. Until the mid-1950s, when all-metal airplanes like the Cessna 172 and Beechcraft Bonanza emerged, Piper Cubs were the mainstay of private aviation in the U.S.

Piper Aircraft eventually moved to Oklahoma and then to Florida, where it continues to produce small single- and multiengine airplanes. William T. Piper, who died in 1970 at 89, has been called the “Henry Ford of Aviation.” Clarence G. Taylor, the designer of the Cub who lived until 1988, founded Taylorcraft, whose DCO-65 looked a heck of a lot like a Cub and served beside it as the L-2 in WWII.

I’m coming in for a landing here back at William T. Piper Memorial Airport. When you take off and land the Piper Cub, because it’s a taildragger, you can’t see directly ahead while on the ground. You have to judge the centerline from the edges of the runway in your peripheral vision.

Many kitplanes take their basic design from the Piper Cub, even if they aren’t manufactured by Piper anymore. If you want to learn a whole lot more about the Piper Cub, consider reading Flight of Passage: A Memoir by Rinker Buck, which describes how he and his brother flew a Cub across America as teenagers in 1966. It’s a wonderful book.

The Piper Cub has been referred to as “the airplane that taught America to fly.” And now you know why.

If you’d like to see a version of this story with more historical photos and screenshots, you can check out my original post: https://www.patrickchovanec.com/aviation/piper-j-3-cub-1938.

This story was told utilizing the Piper J-3 Cub add-on by BT Studio, along with liveries and sceneries produced by fellow users and shared on flightsim.to for free.

The post A Virtual History of the Piper Cub appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

According to Paragon Flight president Christopher Schoensee, the company plans to have a total of 50 new aircraft on the line by the end of 2026 in order to meet the needs of the growing aviation industry and its expanding enrollment.

• READ MORE: Paragon Flight School Accepts Delivery of their First Piper Pilot 100is

“Working in such a high-growth industry as aviation training, we need to remain laser=focused on our strategic plan—and that’s what we’ve done,” Schoensee said. “We know that having a modern fleet is not only a competitive advantage but provides optimal training for our students.”

In addition to adding more aircraft, Paragon Flight has opened two new locations to better serve the training community.

In July, the company partnered with LaGrange College in Georgia to open a satellite operation at LaGrange-Callaway Airport (KLGC). The partnership enables LaGrange students to earn a minor in aviation through Paragon Flight. Besides having access to aircraft at KLGC, those students also have access to a flight simulator on the LaGrange College campus. 

In March of 2023, the company opened a fully operational training facility at the Punta Gorda Airport (KPGD) in Florida to better serve its training needs.

Students enrolled at the company headquarters in Fort Myers are also gaining an educational advantage in the form of a Frasca training device that is a button-to-button copy of the Piper Seminole, the twin-engine aircraft used by the multiengine commercial students at Paragon Flight. 

• READ MORE: Paragon Flight Training Revamps Professional Pilot Program

 “With a growth-focused strategic plan, the best training equipment in private aviation, and a pilot training curriculum that puts a premium not only on skill development but character and leadership, Paragon Flight is extremely excited about the future and the contributions our students will make as pilots and aviation professionals,” Schoensee said.   

About Paragon Flight Training

Paragon Flight boasts a fleet of 30 aircraft in addition to advanced aviation training devices to prepare its clients for careers as pilots. The company also offers training for recreational and military aviators for both domestic and foreign governments.

For more information, go online at  ParagonFlight.com.

The post Paragon Flight Training Continues to Grow appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Piper’s airplane deliveries for the recent quarter increased by seven, or almost 14 percent, while revenue rose by $9 million, or more than 19 percent. The results reflect strong demand for Piper’s M-Class high-performance top-endtop-ene models as well as its training aircraft.

• READ MORE: Sierra Charlie Aviation Orders 50 Archer TX Trainers from Piper Aircraft

Piper said the backlog for the M-Class retail backlog has grown into 2024, while the backlog for trainers extends to late 2025 and 2026, depending on the model.

“The demand of our high-performance M-Class family, featuring the turboprop M600/SLS and M500 as well as the piston-powered M350, is evident in our steady growth,” said John Calcagno, president and CEO of Piper Aircraft. “While new deliveries continue to be strong in Q2 2022, near new, used model availability remains at record lows of about two percent.At the same time, Seminole, Archer, and Pilot 100i sales increased 20 percent versus Q2 2022. We continue to see unprecedented demand for our robust trainers that are built for the rigors of real-world training environments, meeting the demands of world-class training academies all over the world.”

• READ MORE: Piper Aircraft Announces New Parts Manufacturing at Oshkosh

In addition to success in the domestic market, Piper reported sales around the world continue to grow, with international deliveries up by 50 percent compared with last year’s second quarter. The company also said its brisk delivery performance reflects the diversity of its model lineup, which makes its aircraft appealing to a wide range of pilots.

The post Piper Aircraft Reports Growth in Q2 Deliveries, Revenue appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

“The certification of HALO in Canada is an important accomplishment for M600 owners, Piper, and our Canadian dealer, Aviation Unlimited,” said Ron Gunnarson, vice president of sales, marketing, and customer support at Piper. “It is our mission to bring the latest and greatest technology in our aircraft to customers worldwide.”

• READ MORE: We Fly: Piper M600/SLS Halo

For M600/SLS aircraft already operating in Canada, the installation of a simple kit containing certain HALO components and new software will allow the entire Autoland system to function.

The Piper M600/SLS with the HALO Safety System is the first general aviation aircraft certified with Garmin Autoland, which can safely land the aircraft at the nearest suitable airport if the pilot becomes incapacitated. The Piper’s G3000 avionics include autothrottle, Autoland, emergency descent mode, Surface Watch, Safe Taxi, and other features designed to increase safety.

The six-seat, pressurized M600/SLS is powered by a 600 hp Pratt & Whitney PT6A-42A engine. It has a maximum cruise speed of 274 ktas, a range of 1,658 nm, and a standard useful load of 2,400 pounds.

The post Transport Canada Grants Certification for Piper M600SLS HALO appeared first on FLYING Magazine.