Looking Back At The First PiperSport Delivery

E-I-C Note: The Aero-TV Team -- Jim, Tom, Nathan, Paul, The 'Other' Jim, Ashley, Birgit, Wes, Klyde, Anjin, and the rest of the aero-gnomes -- want to wish you Happy Holidays while we all pursue our own various and sundry holiday diversions. Our regular daily webcasting schedule will resume promptly on Monday, January 3rd, 2011. In the meantime, please enjoy this 'classic' episode of Aero-TV from the past year as we all recover from our various and sundry Christmas/New Year's celebrations...

Lakeland kicks off the “spring season” for many in the general aviation community, and Piper paved the way for the new season with the first delivery of the PiperSport; three co-owners took the keys for Piper’s new entry into the light sport aircraft market.  The three co-owners, hailing from Miami, Florida, share more than their enthusiasm for the PiperSport in common:  all three are extremely experienced pilots.

Two of the owners, Charlie Carlon, a 20,000+ hour retired Delta Airlines Airbus Pilot, and Brian Garhammar, a 16,000+ hour retired ATA pilot, are currently Airbus Flight simulator teachers.  The third co-owner, Dr. Mike Morduant, is a veterinarian who has 42 years behind the cockpit.

The PiperSport was publicly unveiled at the 2010 Sport Aviation Expo; built by Czech Sport Aircraft, located in the Czech Republic, Piper expects to deliver 75 PiperSports this year alone.  The LSA features a rate of climb of 1,200 feet per minute with a maximum cruise speed of 138 miles per hour and an altitude of 10,000 feet.  

With a gross weight of 1,320 pounds, and a range of 600 nautical miles, the PiperSport offers astounding flexibility.  In addition, PiperSport’s automotive fuel compatibility offers customers the advantage of refueling anywhere in the world that offers either 100LL or premium, unleaded automotive fuel.

Piper Aircraft offers the new LSA in three design variants:  The PiperSport, the PiperSport LT, and the PiperSport LTD.  Both the PiperSport and the PiperSport LT function primarily as training models selling for $119,00 and $129,000 respectively.  

The professional model, the PiperSport LTD, sells for $139,000.  All three models feature the 100-hp Rotax 912 engine, complete with the BRS aircraft parachute recovery system.  

FMI: www.newpiper.com, www.newpiper.com/home/pages/PiperSport.cfm, www.aero-tv.net, www.youtube.com/aerotvnetwork, http://twitter.com/AeroNews