In September Piper had an open house at its Vero Beach factory for customers, dealers, prospects and members of the press, to show off and discuss its emerging PiperJet turbofan single. There was no milestone or big update to prompt the event. It was just a way for Piper to get folks down to Florida to look at the airplane in flight and discuss the progress of the program. Piper missed getting the jet to Oshkosh for AirVenture by a matter of weeks — it made its first flight during the show.
The Vero event was worth the fuss and expense for Piper. In two days of customer get-togethers, it sold five of the $2.5 million jets, along with a couple of Meridian turboprop singles, the turboprops to customers who want to get some turbine time while waiting for their jet.
