New PiperSport Is An "LSA Cherokee"

Finally, we can spill the beans... known for a number of weeks here at ANN HQ, we're pleased to finally be able to tell you that mighty Piper, the company that first energized GA with the (truly) legendary Piper Cub, is ready to do it again with their new PiperSport.

We've been a fan of the chosen airframe for a while and during some really nice (but TOP SECRET) evening air-to-air sessions last week, the PiperSport showed its stuff nicely in a very tight formation photo shoot with our modified Cirrus SR22 (we have a one-of-a-kind Cirrus-designed window hatch mod for both our back windows). It was tough to keep the secret, but the threat of being thrown into Kevin Gould's secret torture chamber (where we would have been forced to look at ugly non-Piper airplanes for hour upon excruciating hour) was enough to keep us quiet -- at least for a few days.

The PiperSport boogies toward Valhalla at 1200 feet per minute and has a max cruise speed of 138 miles per hour -- with a max operating altitude of 10,000 feet. With a gross weight of 1,320 pounds and 600 pounds of useful load, the PiperSport also boasts serious utility.

And better yet, with the ability to sip sedately on automotive fuel, the PiperSport's 30-gallon fuel capacity gives the aircraft a range of 600 nautical miles and the ability to refuel virtually anywhere in the world that offers either 100LL or premium, unleaded automotive fuel (and no fair landing at those long ramps near truck stops to buy the cheaper 100LL... not that anyone here at ANN has done such a thing... at least, recently).

The PiperSport will be available within a few weeks and in three variants -- The PiperSport, which sells for $119,900; the PiperSport LT (primarily a training model), which sells for $129,900; and the PiperSport LTD (professional model), which sells for $139,900. Each model features leather seats, a 100-hp Rotax 912 engine, and a BRS complete aircraft parachute recovery system.

Come ride along with Aero-TV as we rendezvous in the skies over the Atlantic Ocean with the new PiperSport!

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