Best in Class
Piper Aircraft Inc. has introduced its new M600, a much-upgraded derivative of its original Meridian. With 600 shaft horsepower, a Garmin G3000 panel, 90 more gallons of fuel capacity, a new wing, and more range, the $2.83 million M600 is Piper’s new top-of-the-line model. For the full story, please turn to page 50.
Where: Vero Beach, Florida
Photographer: Chris Rose
Training options
There’s no way around it: Pilots who want to be pilot in command of turbojet/turbofan airplanes must earn a type rating. Ditto for flying airplanes with max takeoff weights of 12,500 pounds or more.
For those of us operating owner-flown airplanes with single-pilot privileges, the cost of attending type-rating or 61.58 annual proficiency reviews at a formal training center can be daunting.
In this issue we look at alternatives to the large-training-center, institutional approach. No doubt about it, the big training centers have earned the respect of their devotees. But training specialists like ProFlight, Azma FLT, and Potomac Flight Training are good alternatives.
What’s most puzzling is the resentment that many single-pilot-certified pilots still seem to hold for the updated 61.58, which was instituted in 2012. A FlightSafety International official quoted some clients who opine, “Why should I have to do this? I fly the airplane 200 hours a year.” Maybe the real question should be, “have I become complacent?” Recurrent training is the only way to answer that one. —Thomas A. Horne, Turbine Pilot Editor
AOPA Pilot and Pilatus Business Aircraft Limited are offering you a chance to explore the ways a business airplane can expand your horizons. The winner of AOPA Pilot’s “BizAv and You Contest: Powered by Pilatus” will have the use of a new Pilatus PC–12NG—with crew—for eight hours over as many as four consecutive days. Submit a 300-word essay explaining how you and/or your company would take advantage of this unique opportunity. For details about the contest, see “Pilatus pilot for a day—or four” on page 43. Who knows? Maybe you’ll find that the heavy-hauling PC–12 may open some doors you never imagined. The contest ends June 30.
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