At a historical product unveiling today, Piper Aircraft announced three new aircraft as part of their esteemed M-Class line of single-engine, pressurized, cabin class business aircraft: the M600, the M500, and the M350.
“Our customers and dealers asked for aircraft with additional payload and exceptional range,” said Piper President and CEO Simon Caldecott. “They asked for increased options with the most progressive avionics and a contemporary interior. We listened and we delivered. These new aircraft each encompass the most advanced safety and connectivity technology available today in an ambitious, aesthetic package.”
The Piper M600 is a significant product advancement, featuring a new, clean sheet design wing and a sophisticated Garmin G3000 touchscreen-controlled glass flight deck. The M600 seats six and is powered by a Pratt & Whitney PT6A-42A 600shp engine. The aircraft has a maximum cruise speed of 260 KTAS/ 482 km/h, a max range of 1,300 nm / 2408 km, and a max payload of 1,200 lbs. / 544 kg. The G3000 avionics suite is the next generation of Garmin architecture, offering the most comprehensive, intuitive, and technologically advanced package on today’s market. The M600 will be available before year’s end and is listed at a competitive price of $2.82 million.
The Piper M500 features the latest in Garmin G1000 avionics, enhanced safety features, and a number of other significant product improvements. The six-place M500 is powered by a Pratt & Whitney PT6A-42A 500shp engine, sports a 260 KTAS / 482 km/h max cruise speed and has a range of 1,000 nm / 1,852 km. Equipped with an improved Garmin G1000 avionics suite featuring the most advanced safety features available in any single engine turboprop aircraft, the 2015 M500 is listed at a competitive price of $2.26 million.
The Piper M350 comfortably seats six with club seating. It is powered by a Lycoming TIO-540-AE2A 350 horsepower engine, sports a 213 KTAS / 395 km/h max cruise speed, and has a range of 1,343 nm / 2,487 km. The aircraft comes standard with an improved Garmin G1000 avionics suite, with the latest safety features, including a hypoxia recognition feature with an emergency descent mode. Additionally, the aircraft has a new digital fuel quantity system from Ametek. The 2015 M350 is listed at a competitive price of $1.15M million.
“As part of our ongoing product improvement initiatives, we saw an opportunity to give our customers the latest advancements in proven avionics technology for safety, efficiency, and performance, among other upgrades,” added Caldecott. “Our new M-Class line has been completely reimagined and revolutionized, while maintaining the compelling value proposition for which our products are known.”
