Story ID: 368
Looking Back: Piper Aircraft
By: Samantha Cartaino
Caption: This timeline explores Piper Aircraft's milestones since last year's NBAA Convention.
Word Count: 517
November 2016

Piper announced that it had handed over five fewer turboprops through Q3, for a 22-percent drop year-over-year in 2016. GAMA reported that, among all OEMs, there were 187 pressurized turboprops delivered in the first three quarters of 2016, compared with 181 in the same period in 2015, a gain of 3.3 percent, outpacing the overall turboprop market (which was up by 1.3 percent).

January 2017

Piper Aircraft announced a fleet order for 50 Archers from China Air Shuttle, the aircraft manufacturer’s dealer in China. China Air Shuttle would begin to take delivery of these airplanes in the second quarter and then distribute them to major flight schools and general aviation companies in China. At list prices, the deal was worth approximately $17.6 million.

February 2017

New models such as the Piper M600 contributed to the increase of turboprops delivered in 2016. According to research conducted by GAMA, turboprop deliveries were up by 4.5 percent to 582 in 2016.

April 2017

At Sun ’n‘ Fun, Piper Aircraft announced a personalized interior/exterior package and an available five-blade composite propeller for the M600 turboprop single. It also announced that an M600 with these enhancements would go on a European tour after making its debut at the Aero Friedrichshafen show.

May 2017

Airplane deliveries at Piper increased in the first quarter by more than 13 percent year-over-year—to 25 aircraft, while aircraft sales revenue soared by more than 60 percent, to $23.4 million.

At EBACE, Piper Aircraft received EASA type certification for its M600. Steven Higgins, EASA section manager for high-performance aircraft and turboprops, presented the type certificate.

June 2017

Piper’s M600 completed a six-week European tour led by v-p of international and direct sales Drew McEwen and Thomas Neilsen, Piper’s regional sales manager for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The trip started in Geneva on May 24 almost immediately after the aircraft was validated by EASA and ended in Italy on June 30. The aircraft flew 7,000 miles throughout France, Germany, Russia and Poland and burned approximately 38,000 pounds of fuel in the process. 

July 2017

Piper grounded its M600 single-engine turboprop fleet after it “became aware of a potential non-conformance in a vendor-sourced wing component,” company CEO Simon Caldecott announced at AirVenture. He said the action affected the 38 M600s delivered since the aircraft was certified in July 2016; 32 are owned by end-users and six are in dealer inventories. A few weeks later, 21 of the affected aircraft were flying again. Piper covered the inspection cost and assisted owners with alternative transportation costs during the inspections and worked with dealers to ensure inspections were completed as soon as possible. The company extended by two years the manufacturer's warranty on all wing structure components on aircraft affected by SB1317, taking the coverage to seven years.

August 2017

GAMA reported that turboprop and business jet deliveries in this year's second quarter edged up 2.6 percent while billings suffered a 1.2. percent decline. However, pressurized turboprop deliveries at Piper soared 87.5 percent in the first half as it ramped up production of its new M600.