Piper PA-47 PiperJet

The PiperJet Altaire 360 was a project of the U.S. aircraft manufacturer Piper Aircraft Corporation. The aircraft can be assigned according to his weight class of Very Light Jets (VLJ ). The single jet Altaire was intended as business aircraft, which is flown by a pilot and can carry up to six passengers.

History

In July 2008, the first test vehicle PiperJet PA -47 took off for its maiden flight. Three more prototypes were designed for a flight tests and static load tests. Piper Aircraft began in mid- 2011 with the production of parts for the first airframe in the series somewhat enlarged version, according to which the construction was to begin in August 2011. The maiden flight of the first production- conforming version 2012 should follow the registration and first deliveries in 2014. Plant facilities in Vero Beach ( Florida) were prepared for the production of the Altaire at a cost of $ 5.6 million, of which approximately 200 people were employed at the Piper program.

In October 2011, Piper Aircraft announced the program for economic reasons, to postpone indefinitely and to lay off a large number of employees. Just two weeks earlier, Piper had presented a mock-up of the jet at the Annual Meeting & Convention of the National Business Aviation Association in Las Vegas.

Construction

It is driven by a Williams International FJ -44- 3AP jet engine, which delivers a thrust of 11.24 kN. This allows a cruising speed of 480 km / h and a range ( with reserve) of 2,400 km. The target price is 2.6 million U.S. dollars given. Piper claims that the Altaire with than comparable VLJ, 25 % reduction in costs to operate.