As Piper prepares for next year’s celebration of the company’s 70th anniversary, the Board of Director’s has changed the company’s name from The New Piper Aircraft, Inc., to Piper Aircraft, Inc. The name change is part of a new campaign that evokes Piper’s history and heritage.
"Over the course of the next several months," said James K. Bass, President and CEO of Piper Aircraft, "you will see us focus on the accomplishments that have made Piper an innovative force in aviation – accomplishments such as the production of some of the most significant aircraft in the history of aviation, and a reputation for quality and utility that spans generations. As a result, we have changed our corporate name to Piper Aircraft, Inc. to reflect our heritage and vision for the future."
Piper Aircraft extends its roots through a lengthy and rich history. It was most recently known as The New Piper Aircraft, Inc., born in 1995 when a nucleus of employees joined with outside investors to take over the assets of the Piper Aircraft Corporation and relaunch the company. There were fewer than 100 employees in that first year, but they embarked on an exciting but daunting assignment: Take on the competition and bring the Piper name back to the forefront of General Aviation. And that cadre of dedicated people was up to the challenges.
Engineers were challenged to create an aggressive research and development program to bring new, innovative aircraft to market. Customer service professionals from a variety of industries were tapped to create a system that today provides industry-leading service to Piper customers around the world. The organization embarked on a campaign to recruit the best distribution professionals around the globe. And the marketing and sales staff recommitted itself to making Piper the leader not only in the owner-flown segment of the General Aviation market, but also in supplying the best training aircraft in the world.
From this commitment, in the mid-1990s, has come a re-energized organization that has grown to employ more than 1,000 people at its Vero Beach, Florida, headquarters, and has succeeded in bringing the company back to center stage.
Along the way, Piper has introduced new aircraft and innovations every year, such as the turboprop Piper Meridian and the fixed gear 6X and 6XT models, as well as introducing ground-breaking glass-cockpit technology in versions of all its other models, including the turbo-charged Saratoga II TC, the Seneca V, and its stable of world-class trainers (the Piper Warrior, Archer, Arrow and Seminole).
Built on a firm foundation
Historic achievements are easily found in the Piper scrapbook. To millions of people around the world, General Aviation can be summed up in two words: Piper Cub. To many of them, all General Aviation aircraft are described as "Piper Cubs" – and that's understandable, given that William T. Piper is known as the "Henry Ford of Aviation," and the yellow Piper Cub is the acknowledged symbol of personal flight.
Bradford, Pennsylvania, oilman Bill Piper had no experience with airplanes when he joined the Taylor Aircraft Company's board of directors in the early 1920s. The Taylor brothers had developed a small, light monoplane powered by a 20hp Brownbach Tiger Kitten engine. It was in this machine that the Cub took its roots.
In 1937, the company moved to an old silk mill in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, and became The Piper Aircraft Corporation.