Piper aircraft is having a terrific week at Sun ‘n Fun in Lakeland, Florida. After yesterday’s announcement about the development of a pair of two-seat trainers, the Piper Pilot 100 and 100i, the company also won a huge order from L3 Commercial Aviation – a flight training operation with facilities around the world. The school announced it is purchasing as many as 240 new airplanes from the Vero Beach, Florida-based company.
A hard commitment has been made for 26 airplanes to be delivered this year. They comprise 19 Piper Archers and seven twin-engine Seminoles. The airplanes will be spread between the company’s training facilities in Florida, the United Kingdom, and the recently added facility in Ponte de Sor, Portugal. The company also runs a flight training facility in New Zealand.
“This significant investment in expanding and modernizing our fleet with these brand-new aircraft will help us in our aspiration to provide the highest-quality training while meeting the increasing international demand for new pilots from our airline customers,” said Geoff van Klaveren, vice president of Airline Academy, a subsidiary of L3 Commercial Aviation.
