20 October 2010
Piper has unveiled its new look single-engine VLJ PiperJet at the NBAA, while also taking the chance to rename the project the PiperJet Altaire. The redesigned aircraft will now boast a larger, more rounded fuselage, which will result in a cabin that is nine inches taller and four inches wider than the previous design. The fuselage will be mounted on top of an expanded-chord wing, with a shorter vertical empennage located slightly aft atop an elongated engine nacelle.
Additionally, the Altaire will have a three-foot wide cabin door for ease of passenger entry and exit while providing great cargo flexibility.
“The PiperJet Altaire is a powerful and stylish blend of efficiency, cabin volume, range, payload and speed,” said Piper CEO Geoffrey Berger. Price point for the PiperJet Altaire is $2.5 million, with a typically equipped aircraft priced at $2.6 million. Piper commented that the PiperJet Altaire costs an average of 25% less to operate per hour than comparable production VLJs.
The Altaire’s maximum range is targeted at 1,300nms with a maximum cruise speed planned at 360kt. The aeroplane is planned to fly 1,200nm with a full fuel payload of 800lb.
Now undergoing CAD modeling and analysis in the program’s detail design phase, the first of four conforming PiperJet Altair flight test aircraft will begin flying in 2012. Certification and first customer deliveries are planned for 2014, slightly after the previously scheduled date. <a href=”http://www.piper.com”>Click here for more</a>
