Piper Aircraft's primary trainer, the Archer TX, is set to penetrate the US training market following the news of two major deals being signed.
Airline Transport Professionals (ATP) and CAE Oxford have struck agreements to purchase up to 122 Archers.
ATP will initially purchase 15 aircraft with an option to take 85 more over the next five years, as it moves its fleet to mainly Piper.
"ATP is transitioning our fleet to Pipers because these airplanes offer rugged dispatch reliability, technological flexibility in cockpit avionics and instrumentation and operational economy," said ATP Vice President Jim Koziarski. ATP currently operates 107 Piper Seminoles, five Diamond DA40s, 93 Cessna Skyhawks and a Citation Jet.
CAE has ordered 22 Archers and 13 Seminoles to be used at their schools in Phoenix, Arizona and Oxford, UK. This is part of a fleet replenishment program, which also includes Piper being designated as Preferred Aircraft Provider for the international training company.
CAE Oxford at Moorabbin runs predominantly Cessnas.
"Piper is absolutely delighted that CAE Oxford Aviation Academy, a recognized world leader in civil aviation pilot training, has selected our company for its next large fleet procurement of learning aircraft," said Piper President and CEO Simon Caldecott.
"The dual-country destination for this fleet order is a first for Piper's recent fleet sales and CAE's order is confirmation that Piper single and twin-engine aircraft provide the best value and most appropriate training platforms in the industry for today and tomorrow."
The Archers going to ATP will be equipped with Garmin 500 avionics rather than the standard Garmin 1000 to be delivered with CAE's aircraft.
These significant announcements - made at Sun 'n' Fun at Lakeland, Florida - may herald the success of Piper's strategy to re-focus on the training market, as flagged by Piper's Jackie Carlon at Avalon this year. See the news story here.