...And Sells A Bunch of Them, Too.

By Gene Yarbrough

Simon Caldecott, Piper CEO, gave the annual state of the company address at OSH2018, quoting unusually strong sales versus the last few years. 

Piper Aircraft, Inc. announced that sales of Piper trainers in the second quarter of the year increased 126% when compared to the same period in 2017.  Both their single and multi-engine trainers have solid order book backlog into Q3 of 2019. The twin engine Piper Seminole lead the increase with 150% growth in deliveries, followed by both the Arrow and Archer, which showed a combined growth of 85%.

Several flight schools have contributed to the uptick in sales including Auburn University, Coast Flight Academy, Epic Flight Academy, as well as Utah Valley University. Piper Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Customer Support, Ron Gunnarson attributes the industry leading trainer sales numbers to "Flight training organizations that are selecting the Piper brand not only because we are the only OEM to provide a full trainer product line up, but because of our demonstrated commitment to the trainer market. It is our desire to develop long term relationships with our customers that reach far beyond the sale of the aircraft."

Piper also said, “For 2018 Piper is on track to deliver more than 100 PA-28s in a combination of single engine Archers and single engine, complex trainer, Arrows during 2018. In addition to the success with Piper’s PA-28 products, sales for the twin-engine Seminole will reach their highest level in more than 15 years.

Piper is enjoying the increased sales associated with a strong economy and hopefully their bounty is an indicator that the aero-industry, as a whole, is on the upswing.

FMI: www.Piper.com