OSHKOSH, Wisc., July 25, 2016 – Piper Aircraft has announced an order for 12 additional Archer TXs to ATP Flight School. The delivery comes as part of an original agreement made in April of 2013 for up to 100 aircraft to the flight school.

ATP, America’s largest flight school, specializes in airline pilot training and pilot career development. The school initially agreed to purchase a fleet of 15 Piper Archer TX single-engine, piston-powered advanced training aircraft for delivery in late 2013, with the option for 85 additional Archers.

“We are delighted with ATP’s continued confidence in Piper Aircraft and our trainer products. Their consistent pace of aircraft orders and deliveries is a testament to the training equipment that we manufacture but also an indication of the growing pilot training activity,” said Piper President and CEO Simon Caldecott. “Our training aircraft sales continue to grow given the unmatched performance and operating costs that these airplanes offer.”

“Demand for airline pilots is soaring–these additional Archers will help ATP meet that demand,” said ATP Vice President, Justin Dennis. “ATP’s new Archer fleet has logged over 75,600 flight hours, earning graduates over 1,730 FAA airman certificates and ratings. We appreciate Piper’s commitment to manufacturing economical training aircraft that allow ATP to deliver pilot training at the scale necessary to impact the nationwide airline pilot shortage.”

As their need for more single-engine Piper training aircraft increases, ATP has been exercising their option to take additional Archers. The school continues to transition to a predominately Piper training aircraft fleet. At this rate of increase, Piper will have delivered 75 of the 100 training aircraft to ATP by the end of 2016.

All of the new ATP airplanes under the agreement with Piper will be equipped with Garmin G500 glass cockpit avionics suites. The G500 is a PFD/MFD dual-screen electronic flight display. Dual 6.5-in. LCDs, mounted side-by-side in the bezel, put both Primary Flight Display (PFD) and Multifunction Display (MFD) capabilities directly in instructor and student field of view to help streamline instrument scanning and enhance situational awareness.

About the Piper Archer TX

As a classroom, the Piper Archer TX provides students everything needed to learn to fly safely. Standard instrumentation includes the Garmin G1000 glass cockpit system, a perfect mixture of low workload and high technology. Piper’s specially created flight school interior, designed to withstand the rigors of flight training, is standard, and the option for factory-installed air conditioning adds to the Archer’s appeal as a training aircraft. It is powered by the 180 hp Lycoming 0-360-A4M and offers 128 ktas / 237 km/h cruise speed.

About ATP

In 1984, ATP pioneered accelerated multi-engine flight training with an emphasis on pilot career development. Today ATP’s Airline Career Pilot Program prepares pilots for airline careers from zero time to 1500 hours, with CFI jobs and airline employment. Addressing the pilot shortage, airlines attract new pilots to the industry with ATP’s Tuition Reimbursement Program, where airlines sponsor a portion of pilots’ flight training loan repayment. ATP also provides type rating certification across most of the Boeing and Airbus fleet including ATP CTP certification. ATP’s 266 aircraft fly 150,000 hours annually to provide more than 4,500 FAA pilot certificates each year. As America’s largest flight school, ATP is the leading supplier of professionally trained pilots to the nation’s regional airlines.

About Piper Aircraft
Piper Aircraft Inc., headquartered in Vero Beach, Fla., offers aviators throughout the world efficient and reliable single- and twin-engine aircraft. The single-engine M-Class series – the M600, M500, M350, and Matrix – offers businesses and individuals elegant performance and value. The Twin Class Seneca and Seminole balance proven performance, efficiency, and simplicity in twin-engine aircraft. The Trainer Class Warrior, Archer TX, Archer DX, Arrow, Seminole, and Seneca aircraft form the most complete technically-advanced line of pilot training aircraft in the world. Unparalleled service and support is offered through a network of 38 dealers and nearly 100 service centers worldwide. All Piper airplanes feature advanced Garmin avionics in the cockpit. Piper is a member of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association.

# # #
Piper Aircraft
For further information, contact:
Jackie Carlon
Phone: (772) 299-2900
Fax: (772) 978-6585
Jackie.Carlon@piper.com
piper.com