ATLANTA — Personal jet or entry level jet?
When Piper Aircraft’s single engine Piperjet demonstrator (N360PJ) flew for the first time during Oshkosh in 2008, it joined a growing marketplace of personal jets alongside the likes of the Cirrus Vision SF-50, Diamond D-Jet and Epic Victory Jet. With the halving of the under-$25 million market and the near-decimation of the personal jet concept, Piper took its original proof-of-concept demonstrator and staked out a position above the personal jet market and just below the entry level jet/very light jet market dominated by the Cessna Mustang and Embraer Phenom 100.
However, Piper’s approach to its new $2.5 million 2014 Piperjet Altaire takes the cabin of a very light/entry leve jet and melds it with a single Williams FJ44-3AP top rear mounted turbofan. The scaled up cabin of the original Piperjet has become a four-person cabin with two additional seats up front in the cockpit, with an optional seventh seat in place of the lavatory or entertainment cabinet.
I had a chance to sit down with Piper executive vice president Randy Groom inside the mock-up of the Altaire on display at NBAA on Tuesday and he said the aircraft’s chief selling point is its 25% better operating costs than comparative twin engine entry level/very light jets. With a 35,000ft cruising altitude, 360kt cruising speed and 1,300nm range, the performance is roughly on par with, and in some cases exceeds, the aircraft it competes against.
Many people I spoke with at the show about the Altaire immediately comment on the idea of a single-engine jet and the reliability of the powerplant. Though single-engine aircraft are far from uncommon, with aircraft even larger than Phenom 100s and Mustangs with single-engine turboprops. Piper is banking on delivering that same level of reliability and safety with its Altaire. Williams aims for a 4,000h time before overhaul maintenance interval for the single powerplant and a 2,000h hot section inspection interval.
Groom said he was excited at the reception of Piper’s new jet here at NBAA and had already sold several right from the company’s stand on the show floor. With its touted-lean economic performance as its selling point, Piper aims to provide an operating cost advantage over its larger competitors.
After two-years of watching shaky air taxi/small private jet operators struggle to launch or die trying, the Piperjet could change the face of this model. However, Piper is banking on a return to growth on the small end of the jet market, which has shown itself to be particularly vulnerable to economic volatility. Continued weakness in the personal jet segment is expected to continue, while entry level/very light jets are forecast to make up 25% of deliveries over the next 10 years; Piper’s market-straddling Altaire may find itself in the right spot when it enters service in 2014.
Piperjet marketing video available below the fold
This post was originally published to the internet between 2007 and 2012. Links, images, and embedded media from that era may no longer function as intended.
This post originally appeared at Flightglobal.com from 2007 to 2012.