Piper M600 enters final stages of certification

Piper Aircraft announced today that the FAA has issued type inspection authorization (TIA) for the Piper M600. The issuance of TIA marks a significant milestone for the aircraft certification program. TIA initiates the formal FAA flight evaluation of the M600 type design, airworthiness, performance, and handling characteristics.

The TIA authorization was granted following the conclusion of a rigorous company flight testing program which included more than 1440 hours to-date on three M600 development test aircraft. The three M600s in the flight test fleet have exceeded expectations by demonstrating a max speed of 274 ktas and a max range of 1441 nm. The performance is greater than the originally planned speed of 260 ktas and 1200 nm range.

"The M600 test articles have performed flawlessly and have exceeded our expectations. The additional 14 kts of speed and 241nm of range is a huge bonus for our customers and further enhances the overall value proposition of the product." said Piper president and ceo Simon Caldecott, "TIA for the M600 is the culmination of many long hours of work by our entire team, close coordination with the FAA, and the backing of our shareholders, our dealers and customers around the world."

Piper Aircraft is targeting final FAA type certification of the M600 in the third quarter, following the completion of certification testing and type design approval by the FAA.The M600 seats six and is powered by a Pratt & Whitney PT6A-42A 600 shp engine. The aircraft has a maximum speed of 274 ktas/507 km/h and has a max range of 1,441 nm/2,669 km. The G3000 avionics suite is the most sophisticated Garmin technology available and offers the most comprehensive, intuitive, and technologically advanced package on today's market. With the G3000 the mechanics of flight deck management are easier and more efficient by design. Integrating control of various radios, audio and intercom channels, transponder codes, charts, mapping, flight plan entry and other functions, the Garmin GTC 570 touchscreen controller provides a centralized point of access for the majority of all avionics tuning, selection and data inputs. The aircraft has enhanced safety features which include emergency descent mode, electronic stability protection, level mode and underspeed/overspeed protection.

The newly redesigned interior features newly styled seats which have been optimized for comfort, as well as enhanced side panels with improved passenger interface. Additionally three new color palettes have thoughtfully been created with the customer in mind. A comprehensive survey process helped identify the features and attributes that would be most appreciated by both pilots and customers.

The 2016 M600 is listed at a competitive price of $2.853 million.