Piper lands record order for 152 trainer aircraft


Piper Aircraft, Inc. has received an order for 152 aircraft from Fanmei Aviation Technologies, Piper Aircraft’s exclusive dealer in China. This is the largest single trainer order received by Piper Aircraft in company history. Fanmei Aviation Technologies is a subsidiary of Sichuan Fanmei Education Group co. Ltd which is a leading provider of aviation education in China.


piper record order 001 Piper's Seminole twin-engined light aircraft
(Credit: Piper Aircraft)


The historic seven-year purchase agreement includes 100 Archer TX single engine trainers, 50 multiengine Seminoles, one Seneca and one Piper M350. Deliveries begin in March with the first aircraft going to the Fanmei Flight School in Sichuan province.

“We are very excited to have Fanmei Aviation Technologies in our Dealer Network,” said Piper’s Asia Pacific Sales Manager, Jeremy Prost. “Fanmei Education Group has a great vision for the future of General Aviation in China and we believe that this vision and commitment will work in pair with Piper’s 80 years of aircraft manufacturing experience to supply high quality aircraft and support to Chinese customers.”

The agreement and cooperation with Piper Aircraft is the key element for our general aviation roadmap,” said Don Li, President of Fanmei Aviation Technologies. “Everything else was already in place, including a quality training program with committed staff and outstanding facilities, and now we have added to our fleet, in my opinion, the premier training aircraft in the world with the Piper Archer and Seminole, which will help prepare our students for their continued success after graduation. In addition, as the exclusive Piper dealer in China, we look forward to serving our customers in the fast-growing general aviation market, not only with excellent Piper aircraft, but also with our most dedicated high-quality services.”

Just as we are making history with receiving this large order, so is Fanmei by establishing a prestigious pilot development program to meet the growing need for exceptionally trained airline flight crews. This is a wonderful opportunity for both organizations as we work collectively to help address the global pilot shortage.” said Piper President and CEO Simon Caldecott.

The Archer TX includes the Garmin G1000 NXi avionics package which incorporates modern processing power that supports faster map rendering and smoother panning throughout the displays. Saving valuable time in the cockpit, the displays initialize within seconds after start-up, providing immediate access to frequencies, flight plan data and more. Also included is the Attitude Heading Reference System (AHRS) (GRS 77), an Aspen Electronic Standby System (EFD-1000), a solid state 3-axis Magnetometer (GMU 44), Dual IFR Enroute/Approach and WAAS Certified GPS systems and Nav/Comm (16 watt) radios (GIA 63Ws), an Electronic Engine Indication System (EIS), a Mode S Transponder with ADS-B in / out capability (GTX 345), Digital Audio Panel (GMA 1347), Traffic Information Systems (TIS), and Terrain and Obstacle Mapping round out the standard equipment on the TX. The Archer TX comes standard equipped with a 180 hp Lycoming engine, offers 128 ktas / 237 km/h cruise speed. An optional fuel injected Lycoming IO-360-B4A engine is also available.

The Seminole includes the Garmin G1000 NXi avionics package which incorporates modern processing power that supports faster map rendering and smoother panning throughout the displays. Saving valuable time in the cockpit, the displays initialize within seconds after start-up, providing immediate access to frequencies, flight plan data and more. Also included is the Air Data Computer (GDC 74A), Attitude Heading Reference System (AHRS) (GRS 77), an Aspen Electronic Standby System (EFD-1000), a solid state 3-axis Magnetometer (GMU 44), Dual IFR Enroute/Approach and WAAS Certified GPS systems and Nav/Comm (16 watt) radios (GIA 63Ws), an Electronic Engine Indication System (EIS), a Mode S Transponder with ADS-B out (GTX 335R), Digital Audio Panel (GMA 1347), Traffic Information Systems (TIS), and Terrain and Obstacle Mapping round out the standard equipment on the TX. The Seminole, equipped with two 180 hp Lycoming engines, has a maximum takeoff weight of 3,800 pounds, a max speed of 162 kts and ceiling of 15,000 feet.