Next stop for Piper Aircraft’s single-engine Altaire jet mockup is this week, April 15, near Westminster, Md., at Skytech Inc., located on the Carroll County Regional Airport. The mockup of the high performance very light business jet then travels to Columbia Aircraft Sales’ locations at the Westchester County Airport in White Plains, for exhibit April 18; and April 20 for display at the Groton-New London Airport. On April 22 it will be at Marshfield Airport in Bedford, Mass.
The mock-up, which was on display at this year’s Sun ’n Fun, will be near Wichita in May at the Great Plains Air Expo in Salina May 11, and in Kansas City at Johnson County Executive Airport May 12 for display at both locations by (CAC) Kansas City Aviation Center. It then travels to Nashville, Tenn. and Destin, Fla. with SouthEast Piper.
In June, it will make stops in Georgia, Florida and Massachusetts. It will then stop in Chicago on its way to exhibit at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2012 in July. At the end of the year, it will have been on display in 16 states and Canada.
Piper has committed 175 engineers to the jet program. Detailed design drawings are being released at the scheduled pace and top-level assembly drawings are in progress, according to company officials. First production parts for the first of four conforming articles have been produced and the company is on schedule for first flight of conforming articles in 2012.
Piper has selected all Tier 1 vendors, including Hampson/GTS, which has resident tool designers on site and will be delivering tools over the next 12 months. Renovation for the future Altaire production facility will be complete by this summer. The building will be tooled and ready for aircraft production during 2012. Construction of the static test rig for FAA structural testing requirements has begun and will be complete this year.
Price point for the Piper Altaire is $2.5 million, with a typically equipped aircraft priced at $2.6 million, company officials said.
Piper Altaire maximum range is targeted at 1,300 nautical miles with a maximum cruise speed planned at 360 knots. The airplane is planned to fly 1,200 nautical miles with a payload of 800 pounds. Certification and first customer deliveries are planned for 2014.
The airplane Garmin G3000 avionics complete with the first touch screen-controlled glass panel designed for light turbine aircraft, three displays, two touch screens and a GFC 700 automatic flight control system.
For more information: Piper.com
