Pilot Shortage Creating Demand For Training Aircraft

By Gary Risley

Piper aircraft has experienced a 40% growth year over year in training aircraft delivered during the first part of 2019 is compared to 2018. Ninety-four Archers were delivered in the first part of this year versus 56 a year ago.

Piper anticipates that strong demand for trainers will continue based upon Boeing's prediction of pilotdemand over the next 20 years.Piper announced its new Pilot 100 series training aircraft at Sun and Fun this past spring. The Pilot 100 is a VFR derivative of the Warrior/Archer, and the Pilot 100i adds instrument flight training capability to the aircraft.

The Pilot 100 series comes with two-seat standard configuration and offers a third seat option. Piper's goal in creating the Pilot 100 was to create an affordable training aircraft to replace an aging pilot training fleet at flight schools around the country.Following a coast-to-coast demonstration tour during which a Piper Pilot 100 was flown over 300 hours and shown to 27 flight schools, Piper has received 100 signed purchase orders for the Pilot 100.

Deliveries of the aircraft will begin in 2020, according to Simon Caldecott, President and CEO of Piper Aircraft, Inc.Piper Aircraft also announced today that it has produced its first production part using 3D printing technology as part of its launch into additive manufacturing. The component, which is part of the environmental ducting for the M600, was created using the HP Multi Jet Fusion 4200 3D printer.

The printed part manufacturing costs is 94 percent cheaper to produce than traditional manufacturing techniques.  Piper anticipates a minimum of a 50 percent savings in manufacturing costs on 3D printed parts.

(Images provided by author)

FMI: www.piperaircraft.com