Piper Aircraft has delivered the first five Warrior piston-singles to FlightSafety International from an order for 20 of the four-seat aircraft placed by the training provider’s Vero Beach academy in July. The Warriors are built to order and will replace the company's ageing fleet of Piper Cadets. The 15 remaining aircraft will be shipped throughout the fourth quarter.
The deal was signed at the AirVenture show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and also includes firm orders for six Arrows – which will be shipped in the first quarter of next year – and options for a further 20 Warriors, which could be exercised around the same time.
The Lycoming O-320-D3G-powered Warriors will be used by the 50-year-old academy for ab initio pilot training. They feature Garmin's G500 flightdeck and GTN 650 communication and navigation system; automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast and satellite enhanced dual antenna traffic awareness technology, which Piper says enables one-second updates for traffic situational awareness.
Meanwhile, an undisclosed private owner has taken delivery of Poland’s first M500 single-engined turboprop from the manufacturer.
The $2.3 million, Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6-42A-powered aircraft was introduced by Piper earlier this year, as an upgraded and rebranded version of the 16-year-old Meridian.
Flightglobal’s Fleets Analyzer database records an inventory of three Meridians in Poland, all used in a business and corporate capacity.
Source: Flight International
