Piper M500

The turboprop market segment offers an enticing blend of speed, utility, and approachability for the pilot wanting to fly their own aircraft.

As Piper’s current new single-engine turboprop fleet—the M500 and M600—grows in numbers and capabilities, the factory, working with AeroMech, has added reduced vertical separation minima (RVSM) as a factory option on all new aircraft. Previously, RVSM could only be added to these airplanes post-production. RVSM certification is required for all aircraft operating worldwide above FL280. […]

The Piper Meridian originally featured the Meggitt Magic EFIS up front—ever flown with one of those?—and a conglomeration of boxes from a variety of avionics manufacturers. The step up to the Garmin G1000 greatly simplified things up front, and the updates continued as the Meridian acquired a new marketing name, the M500, in early 2015. […]