Piper Aircraft, Inc. its PiperSport at the U.S. Sport Aviation Expo in Sebring, Florida, Jan. 21.
“With the PiperSport, Piper is entering what is undeniably one of the most exciting market segments in general aviation,” said Kevin Gould, president and CEO. “This burgeoning segment is becoming vital to our industry and playing an ever-increasing role in developing general aviation’s next generation of pilots.”
The PiperSport, manufactured under a licensing agreement with Czech Sport Aircraft (CSA) and distributed through Piper’s master distributor, PiperSport Distribution, Inc., is immediately available for sale, with first deliveries scheduled for April, according to Piper official.
The PiperSport features a rate of climb of 1,200 feet per minute and is capable of reaching a maximum cruise speed of 138 miles per hour and an altitude of 10,000 feet. The aircraft has a gross weight of 1,320 pounds and 600 pounds of useful load. With the ability to run on automotive fuel, the PiperSport’s 30-gallon fuel capacity gives the aircraft a range of 600 nautical miles and the ability to refuel virtually anywhere in the world that offers either 100LL or premium, unleaded automotive fuel.
There are three variants of the aircraft: The PiperSport, which sells for $119,900; the PiperSport LT (primarily a training model), which sells for $129,900; and the PiperSport LTD (professional model), which sells for $139,900. Each model is equipped with a 100-hp Rotax 912 engine, a BRS aircraft parachute recovery system, a Dynon D100 Flight Display, Garmin 495 GPS, Garmin SL40 Nav/Com, Garmin GTX 328 Transponder, Ameriking ELT, and PS Engineering PM3000 Intercom.
The PiperSport LT substitutes the Dynon D120 Engine Monitoring system for the PiperSport’s analog display, and the top-of-the-line PiperSport LTD also features the Dynon AP74/HS34 autopilot.
“Piper’s heritage dates from what was one of the original ‘LSA’ aircraft of its time: the venerable Piper Cub,” Gould said. “Consequently, Piper is in many ways returning to a market segment we played an integral role in inventing … but with all the modern, state-of-the-art elements that our customers expect today, from design and manufacturing to performance, avionics and reliability.”
For more information: Piper.com.
