Piper Aircraft will announce details of a new training aircraft at the Sun 'n' Fun fly-in at Lakeland, Florida, on Tuesday.
According to Piper, the projections for pilot demand over the next 20 years have led the company to identify the need for a new primary trainer.
“Meeting the unprecedented demand with quality products can be enabled by combining Piper Aircraft’s vertically integrated production approach, simple aircraft designs, and working in the latest technology with key vendors” said Piper President and CEO, Simon Caldecott.
“We have identified an opportunity for a new, primary, single engine training product that offers Piper durability at a price point so that a wide spectrum of training provider’s can have access to real world training platforms. Future professional pilots need professional training equipment as do all training programs."
The 2018 Boeing Pilot and Technician Outlook predicted a need for 790,000 new pilots to fly civil aircraft over the next 20 years.
Piper Aircraft has experienced a resurgent demand for trainers in the past two years, mostly for the the PA-28 Archer series and the PA-44 Seminole.