More Than Just An Unpressurized Malibu (Part
Two)
As we noted in the first part of this extensive briefing on the
rationale behind Piper's decision to produce the Matrix, this is an
airplane that just makes sense. Thanks to Bob Kromer's
well-prepared and carefully thought-out briefing (one of the best
we've received in years... kudos to the folks at Piper for its
preparation), the decisions for the Matrix seem clearer than
ever... and allowed us to share in their enthusiasm for what we
believe is going to be one of the biggest GA hits of 2008.
Aero-News has flown the new Piper Matrix and come
away with great respect for an airplane that we found to be
oh-so-much more than just an unpressurized Malibu, the $757K six
seat Matrix is a lighter, more response bird than the 'blown' PA46
that has become a mainstay of the Piper line-up, as well as the
perfect first step on he way to the upcoming PiperJet. The Matrix
offers six cabin class seats, serious range, serious performance,
and known-icing capability... making it a contender throughout the
high-performance piston aircraft game where "getting through" often
means having to sit out way too much weather.
The 350-horsepower Matrix cruises at 215 knots, with a range of
over 1,345 nautical miles when flown at its maximum operating
altitude of 25,000 feet. Down low, where supplemental oxygen isn't
necessary, the Matrix checks in at 188 knots and is reportedly good
for 831 nautical miles at 12,000 feet. The Matrix also offers a big
advantage over the Mirage in usable load.
Stripping the needed equipment to keep the cabin pressurized
frees up a 185-lb advantage for the Matrix -- enough for one
additional standard-size adult. The aircraft sports the Avidyne
Entegra integrated flight deck, with a 10.4" PFD as standard
equipment. The panel can be coupled with the autopilot for
altitude, vertical speed, and heading without the need for an
external control panel.
The Matrix is the first aircraft to offer Avidyne's new MLB700
Datalink receiver for WSI Inflight weather. Other standard avionics
include Avidyne's exclusive Multilink two-way datalink service,
EMax Electronic Engine Instrumentation System, the CMax Jeppesen
JeppView electronic chart display and SIRIUS Satellite Radio. The
TAS610 active traffic system and TX670 Tactical Weather Sensor are
available as options.
Piper's Bob Kromer treated ANN's Aero-TV crew to a solid
briefing discussing, in detail, the Matrix feature set... so sit,
back check it out, and enjoy Part Two of our thorough Matrix
briefer as well as some of our outstanding air-to-air "B-Roll" to
keep things on a "higher plane."
About Aero-TV: It's DEFINITELY Show
Time!!!!
OK, folks, here we go... we are NOW initiating the first
feature programming series for Aero-TV... we're going to take it
slow, but we're also going to try and be steady about this. DO
UNDERSTAND that this is the most complex media program we've ever
undertaken and what you're seeing is just the tip of the iceberg...
but from here on out, we will be doing our best to educate,
inform, and entertain YOU about all aspects of the exciting worlds
of aviation and aerospace.
If you've been an observer of the media and associated media
industries over the last few years, it's not hard to mistake the
fact that a massive revolution is taking place. Old sources for
news and information are falling by the wayside, having to change
their modus operandi or risk obsolescence (or extinction).
Electronic media and print media are both under the assault of
progress, and the online world has been a cornerstone for
revolutionary change.
We've been ready to go for a while, but to be honest, there's so
much more to this program than we've alluded to, and so we've been
building and planning a massive new organization within ANN. That
said, we're hiring talented new people as
fast as we can find them (a far more difficult
task than we had imagined -- REALLY good people are hard to find),
and we're brainstorming at speeds that would make a deorbiting
Space Shuttle feel like a slug. Suffice it to say that we wanted to
do this right, rather than right-now, and that the development of
this program has been the most carefully pursued undertaking we've
ever undertaken.
E-I-C Note: The
complete feature shown above is embedded in this
story, with most of the slick and useful functionality
otherwise available on the main Aero-TV
site (which will be upgraded aggressively
over the next few weeks). The ability to embed a video on
another web page is but one of the hundreds of amazing little
features that we've worked hard on, for many months now, to
implement in different phases of the initial release of
Aero-TV. It is, BY NO MEANS, the only way to enjoy unaltered
Aero-TV programming on other parts of the web... as we have
extensive plans for future functionality, but this feature
allows those with an interest in a specific Aero-TV News or Feature
program to embed it on a different web site, though we must
note that we reserve the right to forbid such use for those sites
or purposes that we do not feel fit in with the proper mission of
the Aero-News Network, Inc.
Webmasters or Administrators of well-trafficked aviation or
aerospace related sites, are welcome to contact the Publisher to
start conversations on how they may be able to leverage some of the
immense power of Aero-TV programming for their sites and
constituency by clicking the I Want Aero-TV For
MY Website! link.
Coming Soon!
Aero-TV Shows You How To Build A Glasair Sportsman
2+2 in RECORD TIME, Files A SpaceX Update With Elon Musk, Gets
A Sobering Briefing From P.A.S.S., Flies The Piper Matrix, Checks
Out More "HIGH" Tech at I/ITSEC 2007, Offers Thielert Diesel Talk
From "The Man", Spills Some Juicy Cirrus G3 Details, Shoots A
Clarity Aloft Headset Profile, Shows You What "Flying The
Vestimumax" Is All About, Scores A BUNCH of LSA reports, and
SO MUCH MORE!!!!! Do NOT miss them!
NTSB Final Report: Cozy Cub
See All