FAA grants production certificate for Piper M600

Receipt of the production certificate on Sept. 1 allows Piper to produce, flight test, and issue airworthiness certificates for M600s for delivery to customers.

"Being granted the Production Certificate is the latest in a series of significant milestones for this innovative aircraft," said Simon Caldecott, Piper Aircraft president and CEO. "In June we received the Type Certificate for the M600, an aircraft which promises to redefine comfort and convenience. On July 12, 2016, our launch customers, Jerry and Jack Wardlaw, veteran Piper owners, took delivery of the very first M600 off the production line. Today, we round out those milestones by receiving the Production Certificate from the FAA. That is a lot to accomplish in such a short time and we are proud of the team that brought it about."

The M600 is the new top-of-the-line aircraft in Piper’s M-class family of aircraft that also includes the M500, M350, and Matrix.

The M600 features a wing redesigned for a 90-gallon increase in fuel storage capacity. The aircraft is powered by a Pratt & Whitney PT6A-42A engine rated at 600 shaft horsepower—100 more than the M500’s powerplant. The M600 has a 1,000-pound greater maximum takeoff weight, a maximum full-fuel payload of up to 700 pounds, and a maximum cruise speed of 274 KTAS compared to 260 KTAS for the M500, as AOPA Pilot magazine reported in this September 2016 article.

The 2016 M600 lists for $2.853 million, Piper said.