Piper Aircraft, based in Vero Beach, Florida, is showcasing two aircraft for the first time at an airshow during the Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo: the new certified Pilot 100i trainer and the M600 SLS turboprop, equipped with the Halo Autoland emergency safety system integrated into the aircraft’s G3000 flight deck.

Piper's PA-46-500TP Meridian has been the lowest-priced pressurized, single-engine turboprop offered by an airframe manufacturer for nearly two decades.

Piper's $3 million PA-46-600TP flagship, marketed as the M600, is settling solidly into a niche between the $2 million M500/Meridian turboprop and $4-5 million rivals.

As the value leader in the single-engine turboprop class, the M600 has potential to carve out a considerably larger share of this market segment for Piper.

Designers attempt to give exceptional capabilities in all areas, including price, but the laws of physics, thermodynamics and aerodynamics do not allow one aircraft to do all missions with equal efficiency. Tradeoffs are a reality of aircraft design.

Piper's PA-46-500TP Meridian made its debut in September 2000 as a 2001 model. It was the lowest priced pressurized, single-engine new production turboprop and it has retained that distinction. Piper created the Meridian by swapping a P&WC PT6A for the 350-hp piston engine of the PA-46 Malibu Mirage and modifying the airframe to handle the extra weight and speed. Everything about this project was designed to keep development costs low and that's reflected in the final product.

Piper’s PA-46-500TP Meridian made its debut in September 2000 as the lowest priced pressurized, single-engine turboprop offered by any airframe manufacturer and it has retained that distinction ever since. Piper created the Meridian by swapping a 500-shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A for the 350-hp piston-engine of the PA-46 Malibu Mirage and modifying the airframe to handle the extra weight and speed. Everything about this project was designed to keep development costs low and that’s reflected in the final product.

Want to step up to turbine reliability, 250-plus-knot cruise speeds and virtually unbeatably low operating costs? Consider the Piper Meridian, a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-powered derivative of the PA-46 Malibu/Mirage pressurized, piston-powered single with a modified wing, 2.5-foot wider stabilizer, beefier gear and increased fuel capacity, plus updated systems. It climbs directly to FL 280 and cruises for 1,000 nm with full tanks.