Piper Aircraft has rolled-out the 500th Meridian single-engine turbo-prop ready for delivery to the customer in Florida.
The pressurised, PT6A-powered corporate aircraft has proven to be a major success for Piper at a time when sales of it traditional bread-and-butter training aircraft have lagged.
Piper President and CEO Simon Caldecott outlined the reasons for the model's popularity.
"The milestone delivery of the 500th Piper Meridian, since first delivery in the year 2000, emphasizes its enduring value proposition even during recent periods of economic uncertainty around the world.
"Single-engine Piper turboprops are growing in popularity as replacements for less economical twin-engine jets and turboprops."
Final delivery to the customer will be through Piper dealer SouthEast Piper. Chairman "Mac" Langton spoke very highly of the Meridian.
""The Meridian is very popular with aircraft owners and operators in the southeastern US due to its flexibility, utility and performance for the dollar.
"Our customers buy and fly the Meridian because it has versatile takeoff, landing and climb capabilities through the extreme summer conditions in the southeast and, of course, its speed, comfort, and competitive price make it ideal for both business and personal missions."
The 500th Meridian co-incides with the 75th anniversary of Piper and the first roll-out of its iconic Piper Cub.