Aviation News Item: 03879

12th Jan 2010

Source: aero-news.net

CEO & President, Kevin Gould, Discusses Piper Aircraft's 2010 Increase
At the 2009 National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) convention, Piper C.E.O. and President, Kevin Gould, announced a bold upsurge in production rates for 2010. Though some mid-course corrections will likely be made as the year continues, production rates will increase by approximately 50% across the product line. In addition, Piper Aircraft is ramping up both development and sales of the PiperJet in anticipation of continued flight-testing success.

The announcements highlight Piper's close-of-the-year product growth and development pattern; the company made two recent announcements about what they consider their star airframes of 2010: the PA-46 aircraft line. In October, Piper Aircraft announced that it would offer the Avidyne Entegra Release 9 IFD system as an optional avionics suite on the Piper PA-46 Meridan, Mirage, and Piper Matrix aircraft.

In addition, at the end of November, Piper announced the certification and subsequent availability of the all-glass, fully integrated Garmin G1000 avionics suite as a factory option for the Piper Mirage and Piper Matrix aircraft. The certification now extends the optional equipment availability to all of the PA-46 aircraft.

Such production increases and product development emphasize Piper Aircraft's optimism about the 2010 year in contrast to many other general aviation manufacturers.

Gould explains that the company's stability in the upcoming quarter rests in Piper's conservative approach to the struggling industry in recent years; quick to respond to the lagging economy, Piper reduced production from 268 aircraft in 2008 to about 110 aircraft in 2009, allowing the company to maintain a slow, yet sustainable market with no unsold inventory.

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