PiperJet gets new name
The PiperJet gets a new name, a redesign and larger cabin.
PiperJet is being upgraded and made larger and is being renamed the PiperJet Altaire. This will give passengers more space in the cabin. The new design was unveiled at the recent NBAA convention in Atlanta.
The newly named PiperJet Altaire features a new configuration. Its larger redesigned round fuselage is mounted on top of an expanded-chord wing, with a shorter vertical empennage located slightly aft atop an elongated engine nacelle. Price for an aircraft will be $2.5 million with a typically equipped example at $2.6 million. According to Piper the aircraft will be 25 percent less to operate than comparable very light jets.
The PiperJet Altaire is 9 inches taller and 4 inches wider than the original PiperJet. The Altaire will be able to have an optional seventh passenger seat in the cabin and will have a range of 1,300 nautical miles with a max cruise speed of 360 knots. The revised aircraft is currently undergoing CAD modeling and analysis with 4 PiperJet Altaire aircraft in the test programme.
The first flight is planned in 2014 with first deliveries to customers later that year. The flight deck will feature the Garmin G3000 avionics suite and yokes rather than side-sticks that are fitted in the original PiperJet.
