The OEM’s latest turboprop contender breaks 300 knots, and clocks in at $4.1 million, it announced on Tuesday afternoon in a livestream event. The change instigating the new model number? The introduction of a 700 hp Pratt & Whitney PT6A-52 engine—replacing the flat-rated 600 hp PT6A-42A in the M600. Piper anticipates FAA type certification by the end of the first quarter of this year.

The M700 stays at its 6,000 pounds maximum takeoff weight to comply with Basic Med, as well as retaining the Garmin G3000 integrated flight deck and Halo emergency autoland system—which secured the Collier Trophy as well as FLYING’s Innovation Award in 2021.

READ MORE: We Fly: Piper M600/SLS Halo

Pushing past the specs on the M600/SLS it will replace, the M700 is projected to meet the following targets:

• Maximum range: 1,149 nm at the 301-ktas maximum cruise speed and 1,424 nm at normal cruise speed
• Takeoff distance: 1,994 ft over a 50-ft obstacle, at sea level on a standard—-a 24 percent improvement from the M600 at 2,635 ft under the same conditions
• Departure climb: 2,048 fpm—a 32 percent improvement over the M600—at MTOW
• Time to climb: 13.9 minutes to FL250, covering 34 nm and burning 97 pounds of fuel, all 25 to 35 percent improvements over the M600
• Landing distance: up to a 26 percent reduction in ground roll over the M600
• Garmin’s PlaneSync technology, adding remote aircraft status capability using the Garmin Pilot app, and database downloads while the aircraft is powered down

“The M700 Fury is a beautifully efficient, cross-country thoroughbred that gives our customers a performance-based flight experience with economics never seen before,” said Piper Aircraft’s president and CEO, John Calcagno. “We listened, and we delivered. The M700 Fury encompasses power, performance and the most advanced safety measures available today and an overall value proposition that is extremely compelling to individuals and corporate flight departments alike.”

Customers can choose from six interior schemes with updated leathers and design elements.

Following certification, U.S. deliveries will begin immediately, according to Piper, with validations with Canada, EASA, the U.K., and Brazil on the horizon next. With the sunset of the M600, the M-series now encompasses the M700, M500 turboprop retaining the PT6A-42A at 500 hp, and M350 piston-powered high-performance singles.
Look soon for FLYING’s We Fly pilot report on the M700.

The post Piper Lifts the Veil on the M700 Fury, Its Fastest Single Yet appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Today’s Top Pick is a 2012 Piper PA-46-350P Malibu Mirage.

For many newly certificated private pilots, just being able to fly as pilot in command is enough to keep them satisfied—for a while. Soon it becomes clear that while traveling by air is wonderful, traveling a bit faster would be better. Our en route altitudes creep upward as we try to eke out as many knots as possible from our aircraft. Oxygen systems are handy, but some people are uncomfortable wearing cannulas or a mask in flight. Suddenly our need for speed has grown into a need for pressurization.

The aforementioned process is a natural evolution for aviators, and this Piper could be a key component. Its wide, roomy cabin and plush, leather-trimmed adjustable seats give passengers the pressurized comfort and smooth ride associated with high-altitude airline travel without the dreaded cramped, middle-seat experience.

While many piston pilots will tell you their aircraft cruise close to 200 knots or “flirt” with that magic number, this turbocharged Malibu Mirage will reliably take you well beyond. Unlike many models on the used market, this aircraft was designed from the beginning to fly high and fast.

This Piper PA-46-350P Malibu Mirage has 940 hours on its airframe and engine, which has a 2,000-hour TBO. The panel features a Garmin G1000 avionics suite, including dual GDU 1040 10-inch primary flight displays, a single GDU 1500 15-inch multifunction display, dual GIA 63W nav/com/ILS/WAAS GPS units, dual GRS 77 attitude and heading reference systems, GTX33 transponder, GFC 700 autopilot, synthetic vision, and more.

A 2012 Malibu Mirage like this, with a pressurized, air-conditioned cabin, is appealing for several reasons, including the potential value it represents. For many pilots, this airplane offers advanced performance, equipment, and capability compared with new piston models at similar prices. If flying high and fast in pressurized comfort suits your style of travel, you should consider this Malibu Mirage, which is available for $915,000 on AircraftForSale.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Financial Group. For more information, email info@flyingfinancial.com.

• FLYING Magazine: We Fly: Piper M600/SLS Halo
• FLYING Magazine: Piper Malibu: A New Airplane for a New Day
• Plane & Pilot: Piper 1998 PA-46-350P Malibu Mirage
• Plane & Pilot: Flying High Unpressurized
• The Aviation Consumer: Piper PA-46 Malibu/Mirage/Matrix

The post Today’s Top Aircraft For Sale Pick: 2012 Piper PA-46-350P Malibu Mirage appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Piper Aircraft announced at AERO 2023 this week in Friedrichshafen, Germany, that the M500, M600, and many Meridian models are now able to use sustainable aviation fuel, as well as Garmin PlaneSync for the G3000 equipped M600/SLS to come in Q2 this year.

The SAF news is welcome, particularly in the current climate in the European Union, where goals to reach net-zero emissions are keenly felt. The series is powered by variations on the Pratt & Whitney PT6 twin-shaft turboprop powerplant, with the PT6A-42A at 600 shp. The FAA blessing—SAIB 56-R4—as well as EASA approval covers SAF nominally using up to a 50/50 blend with traditional jet-A for the moment, as percentages up to that ratio are most widely available. 

Ron Gunnarson, Piper’s vice president of sales, marketing, and customer support, characterized it at the press conference, “[The approval of SAF] is for use in every country that the M class can operate, including here [under EASA]. So all jet fuel that meets the requirements of the American Society for Testing and Materials [ASTM] can be used in the Piper PA-46 powered aircraft. The introduction to this will not require a change in any aircraft specifications, and will not require a change in placarding or even in the pilot’s operating handbook.” 

The 1:1 Demand Pull

Global economic forces continue to mean Piper is building about as many aircraft as the general aviation market demands, relaxing some from tense highs last year, in which the OEM delivered 236 units—with 70 of those in the M class, including the M350, M500, and M600. M350 demand in particular is going strong—following move ups in the market from Cirrus ST series drivers who see only a small delta between the top of that price range and the $1.6 million for the M350.

“We’re in a pull market for both our trainers and in our M class aircraft—let’s just say it’s not pulling quite as hard as it was maybe a year ago,” said Gunnarson. “That’s not necessarily a bad thing. With 35 years in this business at three different OEMs, I can say that what we were experiencing last year from a production versus supply was unsustainable. I think we’re seeing some of the normalizing, if you will.”

In 2022, Piper delivered 236 aircraft, which was a 14 percent increase over its 2021 figures. Looking ahead, Gunnarson notes that 2023 will continue the trend, as the demand continues and the company’s ability to meet it improves. “For 2023, we’re on track to deliver about 265 aircraft, about 10 percent additional growth, with that same kind of mix. It might be heavier in the M class in 2023. We’ve had strong demand for our M350, the most that we’ve had for several years.

“The dealer pull for the M350 this year was 30-plus aircraft,” Gunnarson added—the most it has seen in recent memory.

Piper shepherds about 70 M class aircraft per year out the door, with 140 in the PA-28 series, which includes the DX, LX, and the Piper 100i.

Garmin PlaneSync

Piper had previewed its latest addition to the Garmin G3000-equipped M600/SLS models—including Garmin PlaneSync—to its customers at the National Business Aviation Association’s convention last fall, and now it’s preparing for the release of the new suite of capabilities for these M-class airplanes using that integrated flight deck.

Updates begin with the addition of enhanced taxi routing via 3D Safe Taxi and preprogramming of taxi clearances. By inputting the cleared route into the GTC touchscreen controller, a routing appears on the multifunction display in a top-down view for increased situational awareness.

The enhancements continue with CAS-based checklists, which will pop up with many corresponding crew alerting system messages, bringing the most likely process to resolve the issue directly to the pilot. Garmin and Piper have also added a glide range ring, stabilized approach annunciations, and additional weight and balance performance features.

Finally, pilots will now have the ability through PlaneSync to remotely “wake up” the airplane and check certain functions and status reports from wherever they have an internet connection. These parameters include database and battery states, and fuel and oil levels. On board the airplane, only the left-hand PFD turns on when the pilot accesses these functions, and only partially so as to conserve battery power.

PlaneSync is anticipated to gain FAA certification in Q2 2023, with EASA and Transport Canada validation to follow.

The post Piper M Class Is Ready for SAF, Garmin’s PlaneSync appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The Vero Beach, Florida, company said customers in numerous markets around the world have asked for unpaved field certification and that it has received similar approvals in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Europe. Piper said it expects certification in Brazil in early 2023.

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

Piper said all of its 2022 model-year M600/SLS aircraft, starting with serial number 198, are factory-equipped to operate on unpaved fields. M600 aircraft from the 2016 through 2021 model years that are fitted with five-blade propellers can be modified with a factory-supplied kit that allows them to operate from unpaved fields.

The main parts of the modification kit include “a slightly redesigned nose fork and scissor link to handle unpaved field surface inconsistencies, the installation of a small nose-gear wheel-well plate cutout allowing the nosewheel to stow properly with the gear retracted, and a POH supplement,” Piper said.

“The Piper M600/SLS is known for its performance, reliability, and versatility over a wide array of general aviation missions,” said John Calcagno, president and CEO of Piper Aircraft. “Now, with the addition of unpaved field capability, the M600’s versatility and asset value is taken to a whole new level,” he added.

Piper said it is offering an introductory promotion for all M600 unpaved field kits ordered before November 30, 2022. M600 owners can contact Piper dealers and service centers for additional information.

The post FAA Clears Piper M600/SLS for Unpaved Field Operations appeared first on FLYING Magazine.