Caldecott Says New Meridian Features Electronic Stability Protection, Underspeed Protection, Other Safety Improvements

Piper Aircraft has introduced its newest top-of-the-line M-Class single-engine Meridian M500 turbine business aircraft with the latest in Garmin avionics, enhanced safety features and a number of other significant product improvements.

“The 2015 Piper M500 will come equipped with the very newest Garmin avionics package for increased safety,” said Piper President and CEO Simon Caldecott. “As part of our on-going product improvement initiatives, we saw an opportunity to give our customers the latest improvements in proven avionics technology with electronic stability protection, under speed protection and automatic level mode among other
improvements.”

The Piper M500 seats six with club seating. It is powered by a Pratt & Whitney PT6A-42A 500shp engine, sports a 260 KTAS max cruise speed and has a range of 1,000 nm. Equipped with an improved Garmin G1000 avionics suite, the 2015 M500 is listed at a competitive price of $2.26 million.

The M500’s new Garmin G1000 avionics suite will feature higher resolution dual 10-inch PFDs and a higher resolution 12-inch MFD as well as the latest Garmin Software upgrade along with a GFC700 autopilot with enhanced Autopilot Flight Control System (AFCS) including a number of flight safety features:

• Electronic Stability Protection (ESP)
• Under Speed Protection (USP)
• Coupled Go-Around
• Expanded Engagement Envelope
• Level Mode
• Auto Pilot Auto-Engage
• Master caution, master warning, gear position, gear warning incorporated in the G1000

Electronic Stability Protection (ESP) helps prevent the onset of stall/spins, steep spirals, and loss-of-control conditions. This passive feature discourages aircraft operation outside the desired flight envelope. ESP functions independently of the auto pilot system and only takes effect when the pilot is hand-flying the aircraft with the auto pilot disengaged. It works as a soft ‘barrier’ to keep the Piper M500 inside the performance envelope by automatically engaging servos to slightly correct control surface positions when the aircraft exceeds one or more flight parameter - essentially ‘nudging’ it back inside safe parameters.

Under Speed Protection (USP) is a flight director function that reacts to under speed conditions in a way that allows the autopilot to remain engaged but prevents the airplane from stalling while the PFD annunciates when active. USP is non-altitude critical and is triggered by airspeed to provide smooth transition.

With stall protections developed as part of the USP system, coupled go-arounds are possible without disengaging the autopilot. With this feature, the autopilot will remain engaged and fly the missed approach. If power is not added, the USP system will maintain a speed just above stall warning, adjusting airplane pitch attitude as required.

The M500 also features as standard equipment an autopilot Level Mode function that, when triggered, will return the aircraft to a wings level attitude with zero vertical speed. Upon activation, level mode will automatically engage the flight director and autopilot functions to return the aircraft to straight and level flight. Activating Level Mode cancels all armed and active modes leaving all other autopilot modes available while the Level Mode is activated by simply pressing the associated mode control button

Other major improvements for the Meridian M500 include digital pressurization, the Aspen EFD-1000 standby instrument, Technomark electroluminescent placards, Mode S GTX 33ES Transponder with Extended Squitter capability, a centrally located single audio panel, dual USB charging ports, and an optional GTS 825 Traffic Advisory System, which coupled with the GTX 33ES make the aircraft ADS-B In and Out compliant.

M500 aircraft are also offered with the optional Garmin GSR-56 Global Satellite Datalink Iridium Satellite Transceiver and Integrated Becker 3500 remote ADF.

FMI: www.piper.com