Piper Aircraft has started to build the first conforming flight-test copy of its Altaire single-engine jet, the company announced this week at EAA AirVenture. Assembly will start in August. Over the rest of this year and next, workers will build an additional four test aircraft, with first flight of the conforming prototype in 2012. The company is currently spending $5.6 million to upgrade its facilities in Vero Beach, Fla., for production, final assembly, completion and deliveries. “The advantage that Piper has over other manufacturers with an interest in a single-engine jet is a solid underlying commitment by Imprimis, the owner of the company, to appropriately fund the program and see it through to successful completion,” said Piper CEO Geoffrey Berger.
Piper has nearly 200 engineers and production staff working on the jet program. At Oshkosh this week, the company is displaying a mockup of the jet, along with a lineup of its aircraft, including the Meridian turboprop, the piston Mirage and Matrix, a multi-engine Seminole and the single-engine Archer LX. They also are introducing the first buyer for their Ready, Set, Fly program, which includes free flight training for new buyers. Jon Roberts, of East Greenwich, R.I., bought a Piper Archer LX and plans to train in Marshfield, Mass.
