Bob Kromer, Piper vice president of sales and marketing said it best. “The [Garmin] G1000 gives the Meridian a new brain taking [Piper’s turboprop single] to a whole new level of performance. With this new sophisticated avionics suite, the Piper Meridian takes on the feel and capabilities of a larger, business class aircraft.” The first deliveries of G1000-equipped Meridians were scheduled to begin last week. The all-glass, fully integrated Garmin suite is a $50,000 option on Piper’s flagship six-seat turboprop.
The Meridian’s G1000 configuration consists of a single 15-inch multifunction display in the center of the panel, with 10.4-inch primary flight displays facing each front seat. Behind the three-screen array is a lightweight modular equipment rack for easy installation and maintenance. Garmin’s Synthetic Vision Technology comes standard on G1000-equipped Meridians, displaying 3-D representations of terrain, obstacles and traffic. Engine instrumentation is also fully integrated in the G1000 system, as is the Garmin GFC 700 three-axis digital autopilot. Before last week, Meridians were available only with avionics from Avidyne, and that suite remains an option for Meridian buyers. Avidyne continues to be Piper’s standard equipment for Malibu Mirage, Matrix and Seneca V, Saratoga II TC and Piper 6X models, at least for now.
