Despite Having To Cease The PiperSport Program, Piper Still Thinks Highly Of Light Sport Aircraft

You have to hand it to Piper, even though they had to kill the PiperSport program after their dealings with the off-shore manufacturer started getting too flaky, they showed up at Sebring and acted like the pros that they are. They answered questions, continued the process of helping the PiperSport dealers band together to support the remaining aircraft, and showed the LSA industry what a serious aircraft manufacturer does... even when things don't go as planned.

Piper had created a stand-alone distributor network specifically to market the aircraft manufactured and supported by Czech Sport Aircraft and branded as the PiperSport.

As the company built that distributor network, Piper told ANN (in the story we broke in mid-January) that it, "became clear that Piper’s core strengths and that of Czech Sport Aircraft were mismatched."

It's a tough situation for one of GA's most prominent manufacturers... citing differences in business philosophies, Piper announced that it had to terminate its business relationship with Czech Republic-based Czech Sport Aircraft to market that company’s Light Sport Aircraft.

CSA, on the other hand, has been evasive and less than positive about the matter... engaging in some negativity and finger-pointing... in direct contrast to Piper's stoic but professional demeanor.

So... we spent some time with Piper's Director of Marketing, Jackie Carlon, to see what Piper's plans are for their future participation in the LSA market and what they have learned from a year in the PiperSport business. Join us as we look at the past and future of Piper's participation in the LSA market.

FMI:  www.piper.com, www.aero-tv.net, www.youtube.com/aerotvnetwork, http://twitter.com/AeroNews