Piper Aircraft, Inc. has announced its 2022 achievements, including a 15% increase in aircraft deliveries over 2021. In addition, Piper incorporated innovative updates to their flagship aircraft, the M600/SLS, and provided support to more than 25 philanthropic organizations that best embody the company’s values and mission. In 2023, Piper continues to see backlog for the M-Class lineup deep into 2024 and trainer aircraft reaching into 2025 and beyond.
The M-Class product line includes the turbocharged and pressurized piston M350, the entry-level M500 turboprop, and the M600/SLS, featuring the HALO Safety System with Garmin Autoland. In total, 69 M-Class aircraft were delivered over the course of the year. This includes 19 M350s, 9 M500s, and 41 M600/SLSs, 43 of which were delivered domestically and 26 internationally.
In the trainer lineup—including the diverse Archer family (Archer DX, DLX, LX, and TX), the value-priced Pilot 100i, and the multi-engine Seminole—Piper delivered 167 total aircraft, with 150 delivered domestically and 17 internationally. Piper saw existing flight school customers grow their fleet, such as ATP Flight School, Spartan College, and American Flyers, as well as welcomed new customers to the Piper Flight School Alliance, including Thrust Flight and Fly Gateway.
“Growth in our two primary aircraft markets is of paramount importance to Piper Aircraft,” said Piper President and Chief Executive Officer John Calcagno. “Despite the supply chain and labor challenges our industry faced this year, we were still able to deliver our aircraft as promised, create valuable enhancements across our product lineup, and pass these improvements to our Piper dealer partner network and retail customers.”
Product highlights included the M600/SLS receiving FAA approval on a Master Minimum Equipment List (MMEL), defining an easier pathway to enter the aircraft into Part 135 charter service. The M600/SLS also gained unpaved field approval in Q4 of 2022, expanding the value of an already capable aircraft. Together with these improvements, Piper Aircraft announced their collaboration with CAE to engineer an electric PA-28-181 Archer Supplemental Type Certificate.
Looking into 2023, Piper will be first to market with exciting new innovations in G3000 software on the M600/SLS, which were previewed at NBAA-BACE in Orlando, FL at the end of 2022. Piper also recently announced the integration of an Agile Manufacturing Robot to the PA-46 production line to elevate efficiency and safety throughout the Piper factory in Vero Beach, FL.
In addition to meeting the demands of the 2022 delivery schedule, Piper Aircraft saw success in other elements of the year, focused on our customers and the community. One of these efforts was the inclusion of two new flight schools to the highly successful Piper Brand Ambassador program, the L3 Harris Flight Academy, and long-standing Piper fleet customer, North Star Aviation of Minnesota State University at Mankato. Piper also presented six aviation-focused college scholarships to students in 2022 and will add three more scholarships for local high school students this year.
