56-469: The Piper M-Class ( PA-46 ; formerly called the Malibu , Malibu Mirage , Malibu Meridian , and Matrix ) is a family of American light aircraft manufactured by Piper Aircraft of Vero Beach, Florida . The aircraft are powered by single engines and have six seats. Twentieth century production of the class was all piston engined (now M350 ; formerly Malibu, Malibu Mirage), but turboprop versions called
112-481: A 1,000 nmi (1,900 km) trip, block fuel is 985 lb (447 kg) at 233 kn (432 km/h) block speed, while its maximum cruise speed is 260 kn (480 km/h). Piper Aircraft no longer refers to their top-of-the-line aircraft with the names Malibu, Malibu Mirage or Malibu Meridian. The PA-46 line of aircraft, as of 2024, is now referred to as the Piper M-Class. The M350, M500, M600 and
168-570: A bigger King Air. When de Havilland Canada asked for a much larger engine for the DHC-8 , roughly twice the power of the Large PT6, Pratt & Whitney Canada responded with a new design initially known as the PT7, later renamed Pratt & Whitney Canada PW100 . The rate at which parts deteriorate in a gas turbine is unbalanced insofar as the hottest parts need replacing or repairing more often than
224-470: A development of the PT6C core, and would fit between the 1,750 shp (1,300 kW) PT6C-67C/E and the 2,300 shp (1,700 kW) PW100 family. It was expected to be ready to launch by the end of 2017 for an initial helicopter platform with a 10-15% reduction in brake specific fuel consumption . This 2,000 hp engine would target a possible new market such as a Super PC-12, a more powerful TBM, or
280-517: A new wing. Various changes have occurred over the model years. Earlier models had an all-King panel and later this became largely Garmin , the Garmin G1000 glass cockpit is now standard. In 1995, the pilot's windshield became a glass assembly (earlier it had been acrylic glass with a heat strip overlay). In 1996, numerous switches were moved to an overhead console. In 1999, the Mirage gained
336-465: A single-stage turbine that powers the compressors at about 45,000 rpm. Hot gas from the gas generator flows into the power turbine, which turns at about 30,000 rpm. It has one stage on the small engines and two stages on the medium and large ones. For turboprop use, this powers a two-stage planetary output reduction gearbox, which turns the propeller at a speed of 1,900 to 2,200 rpm. The exhaust gas then escapes through two side-mounted ducts in
392-427: A tangential direction at the entry to the compressor, an idea patented by Schaum et al. and titled "Turbine Engine With Induced Pre-Swirl at Compressor Inlet". It acts like a variable vane and is known as a "Jet-Flap". All versions of the engine consist of two sections that can be easily separated for maintenance: a gas generator supplies hot pressurized gas to a free power turbine . The starter has to accelerate only
448-480: A third engine in the nose of a Beech 18 aircraft which had been converted by de Havilland at its Downsview facility in North York, Ontario . Full-scale production started in 1963, with service entry the following year. The Beech 18 continued as a PT6 and propeller flying test-bed until it was replaced with a Beech King Air in 1980. The King Air test-engine or propeller replaced one of the standard ones. In 1974
504-483: Is 274 kn (507 km/h; 315 mph), up from the M500's 260 kn (480 km/h; 300 mph). The M600's MTOW is 6,000 lb (2,700 kg), up from the M500's 5,092 lb (2,310 kg), with a 260 US gal (980 L) fuel capacity, greater than the M500's 170 US gal (640 L). The M600's standard equipped weight is 200 lb (91 kg) higher than the M500's. Full-fuel payload for
560-476: Is 4,340 lb (1,969 kg) and an empty weight of 2,937 lb (1,332 kg) giving a standard useful load of 1,421 lb (645 kg)). Matrix deliveries began in early 2008. Production ended in 2015. The JetPROP is an aftermarket turbine engine conversion for the PA-46-310P Malibu and PA-46-350P Malibu Mirage offered by Rocket Engineering of Spokane , WA. Originally certified in 1998 as
616-570: Is a U.S./UK startup developing a Hydrogen fuel cell power train targeting to halve a turbine operating costs. It flight-tests a pair of 130 kW (170 hp) electric motors replacing the piston engine of a Piper Malibu Mirage in California. In September 2019, the UK government granted £2.7 million ($ 3.3 million) for its HyFlyer demonstrator, culminating in a 250–300 nmi (460–560 km) flight using hydrogen fuel cells. Other partners, including
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#1732794363811672-459: Is a light plane with a maximum ramp weight of 5,135 lb (2,329 kg) and 5,092 lb (2,310 kg) MTOW . It cruises at 260 kn (482 km/h) at an altitude of 30,000 ft (9,144 m). In 2015, Piper introduced the M600 (company designation PA-46-600TP), as an upgrade to the M500. The M600 is powered by a 600 hp (447 kW) PT6A-42A engine. The new M600 is equipped with
728-451: Is an aircraft that has a maximum gross takeoff weight of 12,500 lb (5,670 kg) or less. Light aircraft are used as utility aircraft commercially for small-scale passenger and freight transport ; for sightseeing, photography, cropdusting , and other so-called aerial work roles of civil aviation ; for the personal-use aspect of general aviation ; and in certain aspects of military aviation . Examples of aircraft that are at
784-532: Is directly connected to the propeller. Many variants of the PT6 have been produced, not only as turboprops but also as turboshaft engines for helicopters, land vehicles, hovercraft, and boats; as auxiliary power units; and for industrial uses. By November 2015, 51,000 had been produced, which had logged 400 million flight hours from 1963 to 2016. It is known for its reliability, with an in-flight shutdown rate of 1 per 651,126 hours in 2016. The PT6A turboprop engine covers
840-561: Is known for its reliability with an in-flight shutdown rate of 1 per 333,333 hours up to October 2003, 1 per 127,560 hours in 2005 in Canada, 1 per 333,000 hours from 1963 to 2016, 1 per 651,126 hours over 12 months in 2016. Time between overhauls is between 3,600 and 9,000 hours and hot-section inspections between 1,800 and 2,000 hours. Early PT6 versions lacked a FADEC , autothrottle could be installed as an aftermarket upgrade with an actuator , initially for single-engine aircraft like
896-622: The CL-41 . It was a 3,000-pound-force (13 kN) thrust turbojet but the design was taken over by P&WA who developed it into the Pratt & Whitney JT12 . The team had to wait for market assessments to define their next engine, a 450 shaft horsepower (340 kW) turboprop for twin-engined aircraft, the PT6. The early development of the PT6, which first ran in December 1963, was beset with engineering problems, cost overruns and lack of sales. It
952-612: The Cirrus Vision Jet . Piper calls the technology "HALO". Offered for $ 170,000 including extra equipment, it provides access to more than 9,000 runways over 4,500 ft (1,400 m). Transport Canada granted approval for the HALO system on August 3, 2023. In 2024, Piper unveiled the M700 Fury (company designation PA-46-701TP) to replace the M600. The M700 is powered by a 700 hp (522 kW) PT6A-52 engine and retains
1008-535: The Garmin G3000 , a new wing and more fuel capacity. The aircraft is more capable than the M500, as the M600 has greater range and a slightly higher top speed. It has anti-hypoxia tools like in the M350. It received its FAA certification on June 18, 2016. Its NBAA Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) range is 1,484 nmi (2,748 km), up from 1,000 nmi (1,852 km) for the M500, and maximum cruise speed
1064-492: The King Air with Beechcraft selling about 7,000 by 2012. From 1963 to 2016 power-to-weight ratio was improved by 50%, brake specific fuel consumption by 20% and overall pressure ratio reached 14:1. Its development continues and while today its basic configuration is the same as in 1964, updates have included a cooled first-stage turbine vane, additional compressor and turbine stages and single-crystal turbine blades in
1120-451: The M500 (formerly Malibu Meridian), M600 and M700 (Fury) are now also available. The M350 is the only pressurized piston engined airplane in current production, as of 2024, allowing it an extended range (1,343 nmi) versus the majority of its certified light aircraft peers in addition to a more comfortable cabin experience. It is recognized as one of the safest single-engines to fly by
1176-636: The Orkney Isles -based EMEC , Cranfield Aerospace Solutions, and fuel-cell developer Intelligent Energy should match this funding. The prototype made its maiden hydrogen-powered flight at Cranfield Airport on September 24, 2020. As of January 2019, 225 accidents had been reported in the Aviation Safety Network wiki database, including 106 hull losses , causing 219 fatalities. Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Light aircraft A light aircraft
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#17327943638111232-625: The PC-12 and potentially in twin-turboprop aircraft. In October 2019 the PT6 E-Series was launched on the PC-12 NGX, the first general aviation turboprop with an electronic propeller and engine control system with a single lever and better monitoring for longer maintenance intervals, increased from 300 to 600 hours, and a TBO increased by 43% to 5,000 hours, reducing engine operating costs by at least 15%. In April 2022, Daher announced that
1288-585: The most popular in history being the Cessna 172 , and most popular in modern history being the Cirrus SR22 and Robinson R44 . Larger light aircraft, such as twin turboprops and very light jets , are often used as business aircraft . Most floatplanes also fall into the category of light aircraft. Pratt %26 Whitney Canada PT6 The Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 is a turboprop aircraft engine produced by Pratt & Whitney Canada . Its design
1344-709: The Beech 18 had been unable to fly fast enough and high enough to test the PT6A-50 for the de Havilland Canada Dash 7 so a Vickers Viscount was modified as a PT6 test-bed with a Dash-7 installation in the nose. The first production PT6 model, the PT6A-6, was certificated in December 1963. The first application was the Beech Queen Air , enticing the U.S. Army to buy a fleet of the U-21 Ute variant. This helped launch
1400-570: The Garmin G1000 avionics system with twin 10" PFD's and a 15" MFD. As with the Malibu Mirage, Matrix's powerplant is a turbocharged Lycoming TI0-540-AE2A producing 350 hp (260 kW). The aircraft's performance includes a cruise speed of 215 knots (398 km/h) at 25,000 feet (7,600 m), 215 knots (398 km/h) at 17,500 feet (5,300 m) and 188 knots (348 km/h) at 12,000 feet (3,700 m). Maximum takeoff weight
1456-480: The Garmin G3000 avionics and HALO system of its predecessor. The first production M700 was the 1,000th PA-46 produced. The M700 received FAA certification on February 29, 2024, with Piper announcing that deliveries would begin immediately thereafter. In August 2024, Piper Aircraft announced that its M700 FURY received FAA certification for unpaved field operations. This approval marks a significant expansion in
1512-582: The JetPROP DLX with a Pratt & Whitney PT6A-34 engine, conversions 90 and above used the P&;W PT6A-35, after the -34 was discontinued. A lower cost JetPROP DL version became available in October 2003 utilizing the P&W PT6A-21. As of September 2008, 233 JetPROP conversions had been delivered. Twenty percent of the entire PA-46 fleet have been converted. ZeroAvia , a Cranfield University partner,
1568-592: The M600 is 645 lb (293 kg) compared to 550 lb (250 kg) for the M500. Between June 2016 and March 2018, 50 have been delivered, mostly in the U.S. and mostly are owner-flown. It offers nearly the range of the TBM 900 for much less cost, and can operate from shorter runways than very light jets like the Eclipse 500 or the Citation Mustang . It burns 350 lb (160 kg) (56.3 usgal/hr) in
1624-607: The Matrix as a cabin-class aircraft for Cirrus SR-22 and Cessna 400 owners to step up to. Standard equipment on the Matrix includes a built-in oxygen system, Avidyne Entegra glass cockpit, S-Tec 55X autopilot and air conditioning. Major options on the Matrix included a de-ice system, an "Enhanced Situational Awareness Package", speed brakes, an avionics package featuring the Avidyne TAS610 dual antenna traffic advisory system, GWX-68 Weather Radar, and, beginning in 2010,
1680-706: The Matrix, was produced from 2008 to 2015. An extended range version of the M500, called the M600, began production in 2016. A high-performance version of the M600, the M700 Fury , was announced in February 2024. Work on the PA-46 began in the late 1970s, with a prototype (the PA-46-300T) first flying on November 30, 1979. The type was announced in November 1982, apparently to compete with Cessna 's newest creation of
1736-590: The Meridian with a three-screen version of the Garmin G1000 including the Garmin GFC 700 autopilot as a replacement for the Avidyne Entegra system. Piper added wing root filets to increase wing area and 342 lb (155 kg) of fuel capacity, a larger tailplane and reinforced wing spar and landing gear to raise MTOW to 4,850 lb (2,200 kg) then 5,092 lb (2,310 kg) from 2003. For
Piper PA-46 - Misplaced Pages Continue
1792-666: The Meridian. It also has the updated Garmin G1000 NXi flight system, like the M350. The G1000 NXi system includes an automatic wings-level function and control override to prevent exceeding the plane's flight envelope. Its purpose is to maintain a safe, stable flight condition in the case of pilot disorientation or incapacitation. The safety feature is called Electronic Stability and Protection (ESP). The M500 also has ADS-B , but no FADEC . The M500's fuel tanks can carry 170 US gal (644 L) and its Pratt & Whitney PT6A-42A engine burns 37 US gal/h (140 L/h). It
1848-792: The ability to cruise at " lean-of-peak ." The PA-46-310P has a maximum cruising range of 1,550 nmi (2,870 km) (with reserves), while the PA-46-350P initially had a maximum cruising range of only 1,055 nautical miles (1,954 km), although this is now increased to 1,345 nautical miles (2,491 km). The PA-46-310P Malibu has set several world speed records: Seattle to New York set November 23, 1987 at 259.27 mph (417 km/h); Detroit to Washington, DC set January 4, 1989 at 395.96 mph (637 km/h); and Chicago to Toronto set on January 8, 1989, at 439.13 mph (707 km/h). All three records were set by Steve Stout in his 1986 Malibu N9114B. The Continental TSIO-520-BE powered Malibu
1904-459: The aircraft's operational capabilities, allowing it to operate in more diverse and challenging environments, including remote and undeveloped airstrips In October 2007 Piper announced the Matrix, an unpressurized version of the Mirage. The new model was designated as the PA-46R-350T, indicating retractable landing gear, 350 horsepower (260 kW), and turbocharging. Piper Aircraft marketed
1960-550: The aircraft. This arrangement was patented by designer Newland, one of the original PT6 team. A similar general arrangement with a free-turbine power take-off at the exhaust end (the 1,000 shp (750 kW) P.181 engine) had been shown by Armstrong Siddeley Motors at the Farnborough Airshow in 1957. An early design improvement, incorporated in the PT6A-20, was the pipe diffuser patented by Vrana, another of
2016-628: The airplane insurance industry. FAA certification of the PA-46 Malibu came in 1983, and the aircraft family has seen continuous production for more than four decades since. An updated version of the Malibu called the Malibu Mirage (now M350) replaced its Continental engine with a more reliable (and powerful) Lycoming in 1988. Certification of a turboprop version called the Malibu Meridian (now M500) came in 2000. An unpressurized PA-46,
2072-410: The case that the pilot becomes incapacitated as a result of hypoxia. The M350 is capable of cruising at 213 kn (394 km/h) with a range of 1,343 nmi (2,487 km). The plane has a service ceiling of 25,000 ft (7,620 m). No wind, standard day gross weight takeoff is achieved in 1,087 ft (331 m) and landing in 1,020 ft (311 m). The M500 is an updated version of
2128-406: The cooler-running parts. If the hotter parts can be removed without disturbing the rest of the engine, for example without removing the complete engine from the aircraft, maintenance costs are reduced. It was achieved with the PT6 by having the hottest parts, the gas generator turbine and combustor, at the propeller end. They are removed without disturbing the rest of the engine with its connections to
2184-548: The early 1990s. Its pressure ratio is 13:1 in the AgustaWestland AW609 tiltrotor, the highest that can be used without cooled turbine blades. In response to the General Electric GE93 , in 2017 Pratt & Whitney Canada started testing core technology and systems for a proposed 2,000 shp (1,500 kW) engine to replace the most powerful versions of the PT6. It was considered likely to be
2240-592: The era, the P210 Centurion . Like the Centurion, the Malibu was to feature cabin pressurization 5.5 psi (380 hPa), a feature not included on the prototype. The original Malibu was the third pressurized single-engine piston airplane in existence, after the Mooney M22 (1965–1970) and Cessna P210N/R Pressurized Centurion (1978–1986), but has remained in production far longer. The first example of
2296-474: The first hour, 300 lb (140 kg) (50 usgal/hr) the second hour and 200 lb (91 kg) thereafter, averaging 270 lb/hr (45 US gal (170 L)) per hour. Starting in 2020, Piper offered an emergency autoland system by Garmin , which initiates at the push of a button. Built into the G3000 integrated avionics for the new SLS model, the system will be a first in general aviation , along with
Piper PA-46 - Misplaced Pages Continue
2352-409: The gas generator, making the engine easy to start, particularly in cold weather. Air enters the gas-generator through an inlet screen into the low-pressure axial compressor . This has three stages on small and medium versions of the engine and four stages on large versions. The air then flows into a single-stage centrifugal compressor , through a folded annular combustion chamber , and finally through
2408-630: The initial production version flew in August 1982, and FAA certification was obtained in September 1983. Deliveries started two months later. 404 aircraft with Continental TSIO-520 engines were built before this model was replaced in production by the PA-46-350P Malibu Mirage. The PA-46-310P is powered by a Continental TSIO-520BE engine rated at 310 hp (230 kW). The PA-46-310P has lower fuel consumption, greater range, and
2464-666: The inlet. In some installation such as the PT6A-66B version in the Piaggio P.180 Avanti , the engine is reversed, with the propeller acting as a "pusher", the accessory gearbox facing the front of the aircraft. By the 40th anniversary of its maiden flight in 2001, over 36,000 PT6As had been delivered, not including the other versions. Up to October 2003, 31,606 delivered engines have flown more than 252 million hours. Till November 2015, 51,000 have been produced. The family logged 400 million flight hours from 1963 to 2016. The PT6 family
2520-508: The maximum gross takeoff weight for this category include the de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter and Beechcraft B200 Super King Air . Uses include aerial surveying, such as monitoring pipelines, light cargo operations, such as "feeding" cargo hubs, and passenger operations. Light aircraft are used for marketing purposes, such as banner towing and skywriting , and flight instruction . The majority of personal aircraft are light aircraft,
2576-415: The need for a long shaft. Intake air is usually fed to the engine via an underside mounted duct, and the two exhaust outlets are directed rearward. This arrangement aids maintenance by allowing the entire power section to be removed along with the propeller, exposing the gas-generator section. To facilitate rough-field operations, foreign objects are diverted from the compressor intake by inertial separators in
2632-625: The newest M700 make up the M-Class line. The M350 is an updated version of the Mirage and is recognized as one of the safest single-engines by the airplane insurance industry. The M350 is fitted with the same 350 hp (261 kW) turbocharged Lycoming TIO-540-AE2A engine and Hartzell three-bladed propeller as the Mirage. Improvements over the Mirage are an Ametek digital fuel quantity system and an improved Garmin G1000 NXi flight system. The new Garmin system has envelope-protection and anti- hypoxia tools. It will initiate an emergency descent in
2688-403: The original PT6 team. It replaced the vaned type diffuser used in centrifugal compressors. The pipe diffuser became standard design practice for P&WC. Another design change improved the part-speed functioning of the compressor. It is common to bleed air from a compressor to make it work properly at low engine speeds. The PT6 has a bleed arrangement which reuses the bleed air by returning it in
2744-501: The power range between 580 and 1,940 shp (430 and 1,450 kW), while the PT6B/C are turboshaft variants for helicopters. In 1956, Pratt & Whitney Canada's (PWC) president, Ronald Riley, ordered engineering manager Dick Guthrie to hire a team of gas turbine specialists to design a small gas turbine engine. Demand for the Wasp radial engine was still strong and its production
2800-409: The power turbine housing. The turbines are concentric with the combustion chamber, reducing overall length. In most aircraft installations the PT6 is mounted so that the intake end of the engine is towards the rear of the aircraft, leading to it being known by many as the "back-to-front" engine. This places the power section at the front of the nacelle, where it can drive the propeller directly without
2856-475: The strengthened wing designed for the turboprop Meridian. In 1997, Piper announced its intention to market a turboprop-powered version of the Malibu, and flew a prototype the following year powered by a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 A-42A of 500 shp (370 kW). Certification was achieved in September 2000 and deliveries began in November that year. Changes made to allow for turboprop power include larger wings and tail surfaces. In 2009, Piper began offering
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#17327943638112912-587: The updated SOCATA TBM -960 would be powered by the PT6E-66XT. The main variant, the PT6A , is available in a wide variety of models, covering the power range between 580 and 920 shaft horsepower (430 and 690 kilowatts ) in the original series, and up to 1,940 shaft horsepower (1,450 kilowatts) in the 'large' lines. The PT6B and PT6C are turboshaft variants for helicopters. In US military use, they are designated as T74 or T101 . Several other versions of
2968-445: Was almost cancelled. The team lacked the ability to deal with the technical difficulties, i.e. how to develop the engine, because, as one of the team Elvie Smith recalled, they came from research and design backgrounds. They learned how to run a development program, such as testing around the clock rather than on one shift, from a PWA team which directed the development for several months. The PT6 first flew on 30 May 1961, mounted as
3024-428: Was discontinued in 1988 following a series of incidents and accidents attributed to engine failures. One such accident resulted in a settlement in which Teledyne Continental Motors paid $ 32,125,000 to a pilot injured in the crash of a Malibu. Production of the Malibu Mirage commenced in October 1988 for the 1989 model year. New features included a more powerful Lycoming TIO-540-AE2A 350 hp (260 kW) engine and
3080-640: Was profitable but the aim was to become Canada's prime engine company by focusing on a small gas turbine engine. Riley gave Guthrie a modest budget of C$ 100,000. Guthrie recruited twelve engineers with experience gained at various places including the National Research Council in Ottawa , Orenda Engines in Ontario , Bristol Aero Engines and Blackburn Aircraft . They completed the detailed design of an engine for Canadair's small jet trainer,
3136-405: Was started in 1958, it first ran in February 1960, first flew on 30 May 1961, entered service in 1964, and has been continuously updated since. The PT6 consists of two basic sections: a gas generator with accessory gearbox, and a free-power turbine with reduction gearbox. In aircraft, the engine is often mounted "backwards," with the intake at the rear and the exhaust at the front, so that the turbine
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