Piper Aircraft’s flagship model, the M600, will make its European debut from 5-8 April at the Aero Friedrichshafen show in Germany.
The event – the largest dedicated business and general aviation showcase outside the USA – will also mark the start of a regional demonstration tour for the single-engined turboprop, for which Piper hopes to secure European validation in the second quarter.
We have several M600 orders from European customers,” says Piper chief executive Simon Caldecott. “And we have a number of sales in process, that are pending EASA certification.”
The M600 entered US service in June 2016 following a 15-month certification campaign. 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.
The1,480nm (2,670km)-rangeM600 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 $4.1 million Daher TBM 930.
Flight Fleets Analyzer records 22 deliveries of the type to date – all to US-based owners.
Source: Flight International