Photo: Piper
The light aircraft segment of the aviation industry is a very lucrative one, even if for most of us not as visible as others. But you only have to look at how many vehicles compete for attention here to realize that's clearly so.
I'm not sure how many of you are familiar with the name Piper Aircraft. It is one of the oldest makers of general aviation aircraft, having been founded in 1927 in the U.S., almost a full century ago. It produced over the years a wide range of fixed-winged planes, and even now the lineup comprises no less than 11 models, covering the customers' business, trainer, and personal needs..
Until this week the lineup of Piper business planes included two products, the M350 and M500. A brand new variant called M700 was just announced, coming into the world as the first representative of a new generation of M-class piper planes.
The M700 is a plane capable of carrying six passengers at a time, provided they and their luggage don't go over the plane's maximum take-off weight of 6,000 pounds (2,722 kg). And it does so thanks to engines supplied by Pratt & Whitney Canada.
The plane came to our attention after the engine maker announced the PT6A-52 powerplant would be the one to power the plane. It's an important moment, as this is the first time this particular engine is used to push forward a single-engine turboprop.
The choice of Pratt & Whitney as an engine supplier is not that surprising, given how at the time of writing more than 2,000 Piper aircraft use such units for propulsion.
In the M700 Fury, the PT6A-52 develops 700 shaft horsepower, all the way up to 24,000 feet (7,315 meters). It allows the plane to take off in as little as 1,994 feet (608 meters), and allows it to climb at a rate of 2,000 feet (609 meters) per minute, something not many aircraft of this kind are capable of doing - and which is 25 percent better than what other Piper planes offer.
The maximum speed the Fury can reach with its Pratt & Whitney engine is 301 knots (346 mph/557 kph), not blistering fast, but fast enough to get people where they're going just in time. The numbers also make this plane the fastest of its kind in the Piper lineup.
Piper already has the plane listed on its website, but it does not make any mention of cost. We are given a hint, though, in the way that the M700 Fury should be $1 million less than its closest competitor.
And on top of that, it looks great, too. In fact, when properly specced it kind of has World War II fighter aircraft vibes, and tends to make you forget all about those fancy and good-looking VTOLs we keep reading about.
Until this week the lineup of Piper business planes included two products, the M350 and M500. A brand new variant called M700 was just announced, coming into the world as the first representative of a new generation of M-class piper planes.
The M700 is a plane capable of carrying six passengers at a time, provided they and their luggage don't go over the plane's maximum take-off weight of 6,000 pounds (2,722 kg). And it does so thanks to engines supplied by Pratt & Whitney Canada.
The plane came to our attention after the engine maker announced the PT6A-52 powerplant would be the one to power the plane. It's an important moment, as this is the first time this particular engine is used to push forward a single-engine turboprop.
The choice of Pratt & Whitney as an engine supplier is not that surprising, given how at the time of writing more than 2,000 Piper aircraft use such units for propulsion.
In the M700 Fury, the PT6A-52 develops 700 shaft horsepower, all the way up to 24,000 feet (7,315 meters). It allows the plane to take off in as little as 1,994 feet (608 meters), and allows it to climb at a rate of 2,000 feet (609 meters) per minute, something not many aircraft of this kind are capable of doing - and which is 25 percent better than what other Piper planes offer.
The maximum speed the Fury can reach with its Pratt & Whitney engine is 301 knots (346 mph/557 kph), not blistering fast, but fast enough to get people where they're going just in time. The numbers also make this plane the fastest of its kind in the Piper lineup.
Piper already has the plane listed on its website, but it does not make any mention of cost. We are given a hint, though, in the way that the M700 Fury should be $1 million less than its closest competitor.
And on top of that, it looks great, too. In fact, when properly specced it kind of has World War II fighter aircraft vibes, and tends to make you forget all about those fancy and good-looking VTOLs we keep reading about.
Google News