Piper Malibu Meridian

Type (Muster)
Light turboprop business aircraft (Leichtes Turboprop-Reiseflugzeug)

Country (Land)
USA

Manufacturer (Hersteller)
The New Piper Aircraft Inc.
2926 Piper Drive
Vero Beach, Florida 32960

Phone: 001-407/567-4361
Fax: 001-407/778-2144

General (Allgemeine Angaben)
Crew (Besatzung): 1
Passengers (Passagiere): 5

Power plant (Antrieb): Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-42A turboprop
Power (Leistung): Flat rated at 298 kW (400 shp) for take-off and 261 kW (350 shp) continuous/maximum cruise, available up to 30000 ft/ISA, all at 2000 rpm. Thermodynamic rating is 901 kW (1209 shp)
Fuel consumption (Kraftstoffverbrauch): 92,1 kg/h at max. cruise at 30000 ft
TBO: 3500 h, with hot-section inspections at 1750 h
Propeller: Hartzell three-blade, constant speed, reversible, full feathering. 2,08 m diameter

Dimensions (Abmessungen)
Length (Länge): 9,02 m
Height (Höhe): 3,44 m
Span (Spannweite): 13,11 m
Wing aera (Flügelfläche): 16,81 sq m

Cabin width (Kabinenbreite): 1,25 m
Cabin length (Kabinenlänge): 1,19 m
Cabin height (Kabinenhöhe): 3,75 m

Weights (Massen)
Standard empty equipped weight (Leermasse ): 1471 kg
Standard useful load (Zuladung): 729 kg
Usable fuel (Kraftstoff): 644 litres
Max. ramp weight (max. Rollmasse): 2219 kg
Max. take-off weigth (max. Startmasse): 2200 kg

Performance (Flugleistungen)
Max. cruise speed (Reisegeschwindigkeit): 485 km/h (262 kts TAS) at 30000 ft
Climb rate (Steigrate): 7 m/s (1380 fpm)
Max. operating altitude (Dienstgipfelhöhe): 9145 m (30000 ft)
Take-off (Startstrecke):
   - ground roll (Rollstrecke): 466 m
   - over 50 ft (15 m) obstacle (Hindernis): 724 m
Landing distance (Landestrecke):
   - ground roll (Rollstrecke): 311 m
   - over 50 ft obstacle (15-m-Hindernis): 595 m
Max cruise range (Reichweite im Reiseflug): 1980 km (1070 NM) at max cruise power, 45 min reserve
Endurance (Flugdauer): 4.37 h at max cruise power

Costs (Kosten)
A price of 1,35 million US-Dollars was mentioned at the time of the first flight.

Customers (Kunden)
In September 1999, the orderbook stood at around 130 Meridians. The 100 order mark was passed in May 1999, after 90 orders were claimed at the time of the first flight at the end of August 1998.

Competition (Konkurrenz)
Socata TBM700

Remarks (Bemerkungen)
The Meridian is aimed at the "owner-flown" business aircraft market, offering performance, reliability and simplicity. It is based on the proven Malibu Mirage, but higher performance and new systems mean that the aircraft is 75 per cent different now. Among the changes are:

installation of the ubiquituous PT6 engine in place of the Teledyne Continental TIO-540
a root leading-edge extension and an increased-area horizontal stabilizer, to keep the stall speed below 61 kts (111 km/h) as stipulated in FAR 23 rules.
a "glass cockpit" suite, mainly supplied by Meggit. It features a four-screen EFIS plus enigne display units

History (Geschichte)
The Meridian was first revealed at the 1997 NBAA Convention in Dallas (Texas), with a full-scale fuselage mock-up on display. A formal roll-out and presentation to dealers and guests was on 13. August 1998.
The first prototype then took to the skies at 11:39 am on August 21 at Vero Beach (Florida). David Schwartz, Engineering Test Pilot, conducted preliminary tests to determine flying qualities, control characteristics and powerplant response. The first flight, originally projected over 12 months ago to take place on August 31, 1998, was thus ten days ahead of schedule.
In total, Piper projects a flight test programme with four aircraft, plus one static test airframe. Apart from the no. 1, these are built on the designated production line. The second prototype flew on 17 July 1999 at 3:30 pm, again with David Schwartz at the controls. The "typical engineering shake-down flight" took approximately one hour. The third Meridian was in the air on August 27, 1999, also with D. Schwartz.
According to Piper, certification and deliveries are targeted for July 2000, with the handover of 40 aircraft scheduled for the year.

Last updated 28 September 1999

FLUG REVUE, Ubierstr. 83, 53173 Bonn, Germany