Piper Aircraft officials believe that its PiperJet program is buoying the entire company this year.
Piper President and CEO James K. Bass said that while overall piston aircraft deliveries are down, Piper’s deliveries for the third quarter are up 24 percent compared to last year, and through the first nine months of the year deliveries are up 18 percent over last year.
Bass believes that some of the success comes from the attention the PiperJet has brought to the company and that its ability to design and build a turbofan airplane has shown potential customers that Piper is a vibrant, growing company.
“In the last three years, Piper has moved forward on virtually every front—from new product introductions to strong sales, from strategic alliances to breaking into an entirely new segment with our all-new PiperJet,” said Bass.
The company plans to deliver 268 aircraft this year, compared to 217 last year. The new Matrix, an unpressurized version of the Mirage, is the No. 1 seller at 101.
