Piper Aircraft's VLJ offering, the PiperJet, makes debut flight
31 Jul 2008
Piper Aircraft's single-engine very light jet (VLJ), the PiperJet, flew for the first time on Wednesday, taking off from company headquarters at Vero Beach International Airport in Florida. It is the company's first jet offering in its 71-year history.
The PiperJet is designed to be a large-cabin contender in the growing single-engine jet market.
The PiperJet N360PJ lifted off for its one-hour flight with a take off weight of about 9,000 pounds. The company is yet to reveal the maximum takeoff weight. The jet flew at speeds of 160 knots and at an altitude of 10,000 feet.
The first PiperJet is a proof-of-concept prototype, officials said. However, the wings have been made on production tooling and the aerodynamic configuration stands finalised.
The jet is powered by a Williams International FJ44-3AP engine flat-rated to 2,400 pounds of thrust. The $2.199 million jet, at 2006 rates, is projected to have a top speed of 360 knots, maximum altitude of 35,000 feet and 1,300-nm range.
Two other prototypes are under construction and are slated for aerodynamic configuration and systems testing next year. FAA certification, originally planned for 2010, has been pushed back to the second quarter of 2011, with customer deliveries expected in the fourth quarter of the same year.
Officials expressed confidence that delivery dates will be met.
Piper already has orders for more than 200 PiperJets. Fifty of these orders are from retail customers and the remainder from Piper dealers.
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