Piper Aircraft has been awarded FAA approval for its flagship airplane — the Piper M600/SLS single engine turboprop — to be operated from unpaved fields.
Piper officials say they have received numerous requests for unpaved field certification from customers around the world, noting that the approval has also been awarded in Canada, the UK, and Europe. Brazil certification is expected in early 2023, they added.
All 2022 M600/SLS aircraft, starting with serial number 198, are factory provisioned to operate on unpaved fields with the incorporation of Supplement #5 in the Pilot’s Operating Handbook.
M600s built between 2016 and 2021 that are equipped with five blade propellers have the option to be modified by a kit to accommodate unpaved field operations, company officials said.
The primary kit components include a slightly redesigned nose fork and scissor link to handle unpaved field surface inconsistencies, the installation of a small nose gear wheel well plate cutout allowing the nose wheel to stow properly with the gear retracted, and a POH supplement.