From trainers and entry-level aircraft to its flagship turbine-powered Malibu Meridian, Piper Aircraft has during the past two years pursued a far-reaching and ambitious product program to introduce advanced glass cockpit technology throughout its model line. In doing so, Piper has become the only general aviation company to extend advanced glass avionics from piston-engine singles to single-engine turboprops, to twin-engine pistons.
"With the debut and certification of the Entegra system in the Piper Seminole earlier this year and the Seneca V late last year, Piper extended its commitment to providing our customers with advanced glass avionics by deploying this sophisticated and vital technology in every model in the Piper line," said Piper President and CEO James K. Bass.
With the deployment in the Seminole, Piper’s application of the Entegra system was also extended to all of the Piper fleet’s trainer aircraft. As a result, flight academies, aviation colleges and airline training programs supported by Piper aircraft are well-equipped to provide future pilots with safe, reliable and affordable training platforms that will prepare their students for the flight decks of business and commercial aircraft.
In addition, with the introduction of the Avidyne Entegra system in the Seneca V late last year, Piper set a new standard for its flagship twin-engine aircraft by providing an integrated flight deck as standard equipment and the first multi-engine version of Avidyne’s EMax™ electronic Engine Instrumentation.
The Entegra system, designed and manufactured by the Avidyne Corporation of Lincoln, MA, consists of systems more commonly found on corporate jet aircraft.
In the Malibu Meridian and Malibu Mirage the avionics suite is the first deployment of a three-screen system, with 10.4-inch diagonal, high-resolution, sunlight-readable displays, including dual redundant EXP5000 primary flight displays (PFDs) with dual integrated solid-state ADAHRS, primary engine instruments and flight director. The EX5000 PFD presents standard flight instrumentation, including an electronic attitude direction indicator (EADI), altitude, airspeed, vertical speed, coupled with an electronic horizontal situation indicator (EHSI). The EX5000 is also the first large-format MFD for general aviation that can display data from the RDR 2000 digital airborne weather radar system and from optional XM WX satellite weather and Avidyne’s MultiLink™ datalink services.
The remaining aircraft in the Piper fleet come equipped with either standard or optional deployment of two 10.4-inch diagonal, high-resolution, sunlight-readable displays, including an EX5000 PFD with integrated solid-state ADAHRS and primary engine instruments. The EX5000 multi-function display (MFD) also includes a full-feature moving map, and on Piper’s flagship twin-engine aircraft – the Seneca V – comes standard with the first multi-engine implementation of EMax. Additional options include Avidyne’s FlightCenter™ services for flight tracking and two-way text messaging capabilities, an autopilot with integrated flight director, autopilot mode annunciations and integrated altitude pre-selector on the EXP5000, and CMax™ Jeppesen JeppView® electronic chart display.
In the case of the Meridian, certified in 2000 by the FAA, introduction of the Entegra system was yet another major enhancement to what already was a world-class aircraft. The Meridian, Piper’s first single-engine turboprop, with a 500 SHP Pratt & Whitney PT-6A-42A turbine engine and all-glass cockpit when it debuted, revolutionized the high-end, owner-flown general aviation market by implementing ADAHRS in place of gyros, unique in single-engine aircraft at the time. The Meridian also introduced state-of-the-art features that continue to garner high marks from owners and pilots by providing advanced capabilities while remaining user-friendly. Th