Piper Aircraft debuted its M600 at Aero and declared that long-awaited European certification for its flagship single-engined turboprop was "imminent".
"We had hoped to have secured it by now," Piper chief executive Simon Caldecott says. "After all, we submitted the paperwork to EASA in July 2016, shortly after we received US certification for the aircraft."
Caldecott says he is "not satisfied" with the speed of the aviation authority’s validation process, which he dismisses as "simply not good enough" .
As well as the USA, the M600 has secured approval from Australia, Brazil and Canada. “These were pretty quick," Caldecott says. “Brazil took around 30 days, for example, and Canada up to 60 days. Europe should be the same.”
Piper has a number of M600 sales that are pending EASA certification, with a lot of "strong prospects" for the M600 in Europe, Caldecott adds. The US airframer will begin a three-month demonstration tour of the continent following Aero to drum up orders for the six-seat type. "We will then take the aircraft to Africa, Asia and Australia," he says.
Piper also announced an interior and exterior upgrade package for the M600. Called Expression, the $22,500 option includes four exclusive paint schemes and a variety of interior enhancements.
The M600 entered US service in June 2016 following a 15-month certification campaign, and more than 30 aircraft have been delivered to date. The $2.9 million aircraft is a development of Piper’s M500 entry level turboprop, featuring a redesigned wing, digital fuel-management technology and a restyled interior.
The M600 has a 1,480nm (2,670km) range and is designed, Piper says, to “address a segment of the market currently unserved in general aviation and at a price point significantly below that of our competitors”. These include the $4.9 million Pilatus PC-12NG and the $4.2 million Daher TBM 930.
Source: Flight International
