Piper’s John Calcagno, an Air Force veteran, came to Sun ‘n Fun just after being appointed CEO after serving for a number of years in Senior roles with Piper Aircraft. The primary topic, right from the get-go, was the Piper M line... starting with the very successful M600 single-engine turboprop as well as the M500, and the M350 pressurized single. Piper’s Chief technologist, Buddy Sessoms, also spoke up about the future of the M line and the recent addition of the HALO autoland system... versus other airframes that depend on a parachute to provide an added level of safety.
Both Calcagno and Sessoms seem to honestly prefer the HALO addition for the M600, over a chute, since the turboprop already provides a serious benefit in reliability, and the HALO system can produce a better ‘landing’ than the chute. They also described the excitement felt as the possibility of HALO was presented to them and the chance for Piper to serve as the launch customer for this safety capability.
Our intriguing discussion concludes with some details about the Piper 100i (which is currently sold out for the year) and the future of the mid-level airplanes, including the Piper Seminole... though both men hinted that there was more to come for these (and other) airplanes.
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