Like Diamond, Piper only had a mock-up of their new PiperJet at Sun n Fun. I liked what I saw though. Specifically, nothing about it feels like a little jet.

The first thing I noticed was the size of the door. At first I thought they made the model's door extra large so that people could see into the mock-up better at airshows. Not so, the production aircraft door will really be that big and that will make this plane very easy and convenient to get into.

The door sets the tone for the interior. Immediately inside is what feels like a lobby. The mock-up had a encloseable potty up there, but you could trade that for an entertainment/refreshment center if you want. Behind the lobby are four seats with a good amount of leg room. Although the picture on this page is only concept art, it actually gives a good feel for the vastness of the cabin.

While the passengers section is comfortable and roomy, the cockpit also looked very nice. Based on three large LCD displays and only having a few buttons, it was simple to the point of being elegant. It felt more like the front seats of a luxury car than a jet. This jet is being marketed for owner-pilots and I think its design will work to attract them.

Piper is one of the few VLJ designers going with a single-engine aircraft, and they have a very good document on their site explaining why they went without a second engine. With the reliability of the Williams FJ44 engine they use, their saying that having a single engine just "makes sense" seems to hold true.

If the PiperJet can meet its promised performance numbers using that engine, I think it will be a strong contender in the VLJ market. Now we just need to see how it flies...