An April 28 Indian River County budget resolution approved $12 million to keep Piper Aircraft at its headquarters in Vero Beach, Fla., and the state of Florida added another $20 million.
Piper PA-47 PiperJet
April 22, 2008 - 12:17pm
Piper Aircraft and Cirrus Design are neck and neck on progress with their respective single-engine very light jet prototypes, and the two competing airplanes could fly within days of each other in July. Workers at Cirrus are finishing V1 (the “V” stands for “verification”), an aerodynamically conforming–but not entirely systems conforming–Cirrus Jet prototype.
December 27, 2007 - 10:28am
Piper Aircraft is patenting a new metal-bonding technique that will be key to the manufacture of the all-aluminum, $2.2 million PiperJet. According to Piper president and CEO James Bass, the intent is to eliminate the use of rivets altogether in the production wing and limit the number of rivets used in the main structure for the single-engine jet. Piper is also patenting a nondestructive testing system for its bonded structures.
December 18, 2007 - 11:46am
After the PiperJet was announced at NBAA 2006, Piper was besieged with unsolicited offers by officials from more than 60 cities to move production of the single-engine jet to their communities. This spring Piper whittled down the site selection to three cities–Vero Beach, Fla., where the manufacturer is currently located; Oklahoma City; and Albuquerque, N.M.–and a decision is expected soon.
December 6, 2007 - 11:32am
Piper Aircraft is patenting a new metal bonding technique that will be key to the manufacture of the PiperJet’s all-aluminum wing. According to Piper president and CEO James Bass, the intent is to eliminate the use of rivets in the production wing for the single-engine jet.
September 26, 2007 - 3:44pm
Asked if he has his house on the market as Piper grapples with the decision on whether to stay in Vero Beach, Fla., or move the entire company to Albuquerque, N.M., or Oklahoma City, Piper Aircraft president and CEO Jim Bass said, “No, I don’t,” and added, “We have no agenda or plan to leave Vero Beach. We have to see if it’s in Piper’s long-term best interest to move.”
September 26, 2007 - 10:51am
“No, I haven’t,” said Piper Aircraft president and CEO Jim Bass, when asked if he has placed his house on the market as Piper grapples with the decision on whether or not to stay in Vero Beach, Fla., or move the entire company to Albuquerque, N.M., or Oklahoma City, Okla. “We have no agenda or plan to leave Vero Beach,” he said.
July 31, 2007 - 5:44am
In May, Piper Aircraft confirmed that it was looking for suitable sites to relocate the company’s headquarters and to establish manufacturing of its single-engine PiperJet. A significant factor in the move is insurance costs, which have risen tenfold due to hurricanes. “Insurance in Florida is skyrocketing,” said a Piper spokesman.
June 26, 2007 - 10:49am
In May, Piper Aircraft confirmed that it was looking for suitable sites to relocate the company’s headquarters and to establish PiperJet manufacturing. A significant factor in the move is insurance costs, which have risen tenfold due to hurricanes. “Insurance in Florida is skyrocketing,” said a Piper spokesman.
June 7, 2007 - 9:58am
The race is on; the first manufacturer to certify, build and deliver a single-engine jet that offers reasonable performance and price might have the market to itself until Piper Aircraft’s PiperJet joins the fray in 2010. Unless Cirrus Design has far more up its sleeve than it has revealed thus far, it appears that Diamond will be first to market with its surprisingly roomy D-Jet.
