the piper meridian
TRANSCRIPT
I TURBINE PILOT I
The Piper Meridian
Still the same,
yet better than ever
BY ANDREW GALLAGHER
Piper has fine-tuned itsflagship product over the
past decade, and while it
is still the same aircraft at heart,
all the little changes have made
a difference-in a very good way.
When considering the relatively small market segment ofsingle-engine, pressurized turboprops, the Piper Meridian isstill the youngest in terms oftime in production. Despite itsshort tenure, the Meridian hasmanaged to become one of themost popular airframes amongowner-flown turbine aircraft.
It really is no surprise why: TheMeridian remains unmatched
in initial acquisition and directoperating costs for the performance and utility it offers.
Although the Meridian hasbeen in production fewer than12years, it is far from the newkid on the block. The airframe is
a derivative of the venerable piston-engine PA-46 Malibu andMalibu Mirage line, which hasbeen in production since 1983.The engine in the Meridian isthe Pratt & Whitney CanadaPT6A-42A-a distinguishedmember of the PT6A familythat has been the engine seriesof choice in more than 100 different aircraft models all over
the globe.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MIKE FIZER
AND CHRIS ROSE
'III
T-IO I AOPA PILOT July 2012
DURING THE MID-1990S. Piperfound strong interest in apotential turboprop variant ofthe company's Malibu Mirage.In fact, many industry professionals believed it was longoverdue, so in 1997,the companyannounced it would developsuch a turboprop. Thus, thePA-46-500TP Malibu Meridianwas born.
Regular production of theMeridian began in 1999, andthe first deliveries of the air
craft began in late 2000. Thefirst Meridians carried a base
price of $1,375,000. The newmodel was received well by themarket, and between December2000 and December 2001,
Piper pushed out nearly 100Meridians, almost all of whichwere already spoken for by customers on the company's largebacklog of orders.
IT DOES NOT TAKE A PIPER
expert to see the Meridianshares similarities with its
piston-powered sibling, theMirage. Both utilize a commonfuselage with a pressurized, sixplace cabin. Dimension-wise,the two aircraft are not all thatdifferent. Both stand 11.3feet
tall at the tallest point, the topof the vertical stabilizer. Spinnerto tail, the Meridian is a bit morethan eight inches longer thanthe Mirage because of the longer turbine engine. Each has awingspan of 43 feet, althoughthe Meridian wing is uniquefrom the other PA-46 variants,mainly to handle the heavierweight and carry more fuel forthe thirstier PT6A. Most agreethat the Meridian has a largerramp presence. Some attributethis to the nearly seven-footdiameter, four-blade Hartz~1lprop; others notice the largePT6Aexhaust stacks protrudingfrom both sides of the cowl
ing; some even notice the wingshape is different and larger
than that of the Mirage. Thesesubtle yet clearly distinguishable differences make it evidentthe Meridian is a different ani
mal altogether.
DURING THE PAST DECADE. theairframe of the Meridian has
remained largely unchanged.Nevertheless, a number ofimprovements have occurred.A noteworthy change occurredin mid-2003 with the incorporation of a modification that
raised the maximum grossweight from 4,850 pounds to5,092pounds. Omitting the specific engineering details, thisincrease was mainly achievedby incorporating additionalstructural support for the landing gear and part of the wing,and placing vortex generatorson the wings. The VGs wereadded to the top side of thewing, just aft of the pneumaticboots. Incidentally, the presenceof vortex generators is the easilyidentifiable trait of Meridians
with the higher gross weight.For a period of time, Pipermade a retrofit kit available to
owners of lower-gross-weightMeridians, which is why thereare 2001- and 2002-year modelaircraft flying around with the5,092-pound gross weight, butthis kit is no longer available.
Anyone who has ownedan aircraft with a pressurizedcabin knows pressurizationsystems can require frequentmaintenance. Over the years,though, the Meridian's environmental control system (ECS)has proven highly reliable.However, there have been afew changes to enhance certaincomponents of the system. Forexample, in early 2008, a modification was made to the ECS
air ducting that allowed for amore consistent airflow into the
pressure vessel, which in turneliminated erratic cabin altitude
rate changes. Another update inlate 2009 involved replacing thevalve motor for the mass flow
controller with a new model
that was less prone to failure.This flaw was a common issueof Meridians manufactured
from 2001 through 2009, andwhen the valve motor did fail,the pilot would lose the abilityto control the cabin temperature(the valve regulates the flowof ambient air into the cabin).Fortunately for owners of theolder Meridians, upgrades tothe ECS system are available tothese aircraft via service kits.
Starting with early 2007models, Piper began delivering Meridians without stormwindows on the left cockpitside window, and while this
may seem like a minor change,it caused a bit of a stir amongcurrent and potential ownersas many of them really likedthat little window. Owners of
"old-style-window" aircraftare required to either inspectthe storm window for cracks
every 50 hours or replace theentire window with the new,
VORTEX
GENERATORS atopthe wing showcase aMeridian'sS,092-poundMTOW(left). Inside,there's no doubt aboutwhich cockpit a modelhas. Below,a lS-inchMFDand two PFDsshout GarminG1000.The GFC700 autopilotis the most capable ofany ever installed.
www.aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT I T-l1
SPEC SHEET~
storm-windowless version,
which terminates the recurring
inspection.
Other small changes
through the years includecabin interior enhancements.
Interior leathers have greatly
improved in quality and feel.
The support cables for the
cabin entry door have always
been problematic for PA-46
aircraft, so in late 2008, Pipermade the cables more robust.
However, some owners pre
ferred previous models whose
systems had smaller-diametercables that retracted into the
door and a viscous damper to
slowly drop the lower half ofthe door rather than let it free
fall. For 2012 models, there are
several interior changes: flatfold-down seatbacks for the
aft-facing seats and co-pilot
seat for easier cockpit access,
redesigned cockpit side panels
1-12 I AOPA PILOT July2012
STANDARD EQUIPPED LIST PRICE
(GARMIN G1000): $2.13 MILLION
SPECIFICATIONS
Powerplant 1 Pratt & Whitney CanadaPT6A-42A
Horsepower 1 Flat-rated at 500 shp
Recommended TBO 1 3,600 hr
Recommended HSI 1 1,800 hr
Length 1 29 ft 7 In
!;;!g!gh!_1 ]] ft 4Jn .Wingspan 1 43 ftWing area I 183 sq ft
Wing loading @ 1 5,092 Ib 27.8 Ib/sq ft
Power loading I 10.2 Ib/shp
Seats 1 6Cabin length 1 12 ft 4 in
Cabin width 14ft 2 in
Cabin height 13ft 11 in
Standard empty weight I 3,380 Ib
Max ramp weight 1 5,134 Ib
Max takeoff weight 1 5,092 Ib
Max useful load 1 1,754 Ib
Payload w/full fuel 1 595 Ib
Max landing weight I 4,850 Ib
Fuel capacity, std 1173 gal(170 gal usable) 1,160 Ib (1,139 Ibusable)
Baggage capacity (rear) 1 100 Ib, 20cu ft
PERFORMANCE
Normal takeoff distance over 50-ftobstacle, sea level I 2,800 ftMax demonstrated crosswindcomponent 1 17 kt
Rate of climb, sea level, max gross wt1,550 fpm
Cruise speed/range w/1 hour fuel rsv
@ Max power setting, 25,000 ft260 KTAS / 840 nm
(269 pph/40 gph)@ Max range setting, 28,000 ft
180 KTAS / 1,250 nm
(135 pph/ 20 gph)Max operating altitude 1 30,000 ft
Landing distance over 50-ft obstacle(w/o reverse) 1 2,080 ft
Landing distance, ground roll (w/oreverse) 1 1,000 ft
LIMITING AND RECOMMENDED AIRSPEEDS
Vx (best angle of climb) 1 95 KIAS
Vy (best rate of climb) I 12S KIAS
VA(design maneuvering) I 127 KIAS
VFE (max flap extended) 1 168 KIAS
VLE (max gear extended) 1 168 KIAS
VLO (max gear operating)Extend 1 168 KIAS
Retract I 129 KIAS
VMO (max operating speed) I 188 KIAS
VS1 (stall, clean) 1 79 KIAS
Vso(stall, in landing configuration)69 KIAS
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Contact Piper Aircraft Inc., 2926 PiperDrive, Vero Beach, Florida 32960,772-567-4361,www.piper.com.Based on manufacturer's calculations. Allperformance figures are based on standard day.•standard atmosphere. sea level, gross weight •conditions unless otherwise noted.
EXTRA Spinner to tail, the Meridian is abit more than eight inches longer thanthe Mirage.
--_.~-----------------------------------------------
to allow more elbow and hiproom, light emitting diode(LED) interior lighting, and theaddition of two nO-volt outlets in the cabin for electronicdevices.
THE PT6A-42A ENGINE comesfrom a line of well-established
engines, and it has been wellintegrated with the Meridianairframe. However, like the airframe, it has seen several smallyet effective improvementssince first deliveries. One of the
more prominent, starting with2004 models, added components to allow for operations
in outside air temperaturesas low as minus 54 degrees C(previous models had a lowtemperature limit of minus41 degrees C). The new lowerlimit was attained by adding afuel temperature gauge in thecockpit and replacing the flexible engine hoses with solidones. A retrofit kit is available
for pre-2004 models via a service bulletin.
Equally significant were thechanges to the engine mounts.In Meridians from model years2001 through mid-2006, therewas a widespread problem ofcracks forming on the engine
mount at the points where thenose landing gear attached tothe mount. Piper covered thebill on this one; the companypaid to have the engine mountsreplaced on more than 200Meridians. This was of equalbenefit to future Meridian
owners as today there are noaircraft flying with the oldstyle mount-or at least thereshouldn't be.
THE MERIDIAN HAS HAD three
base avionics packages availablefrom the factory, and arguably,each evolution has made the
Meridian progressively better.
THE AUTOMATED
environmental controlsystem has seennumerous improvements over the years(top). The interior iselegantly simple. Thelatest models improvecockpit access. Somebuyers now omit theradar pod (facingpage) in favor ofdatalink weather.
www.aopa.org/pllot AOPA PILOT I T-13
When first designing theMeridian, Piper teamed up withMeggitt Avionicsfor an avionicssuite exclusive to the Meridian,
and the result was the MeggittMAGIC (Meggitt AvionicsNextGeneration Integrated Cockpit).The MAGIC system was a perfect pairing for the advancedMeridian, offering electronicflight and engine instrumentation (EFIS), BendixjKing colorradar, and GPS navigation provided by dual Garmin GNS530units. The system came pairedwith an S-Tec 550 autopilot,
though in 2003 it was replacedby Meggitt's 1500autopilot. The1500 added a nterface and an
indicated airspeed hold functionfor climbs and descents.
By 2004, when other GAaircraft were starting to bedelivered with full glass-panelcockpits, the MAGIC systemwas becoming obsolete. Inthe 2006 models, Meridianswere delivered with the
Avidyne Entegra avionics suite,
comprised of two EXP5000primary flight displays, oneEX5000 multifunction dis
play, two Garmin GNS430units, and the 1500 autopilot.
The Meridian had officiallyentered the glass-co.ckpit era.The Avidyne system offerednumerous improvements overthe MAGIC; among them wasdatalink (satellite) weather andJeppesen charts displayed onthe lO-inch MFD. In late 2008,the aircraft was delivered withdual WAAS-enabled GNS430W
navigators, and a retrofit kit wasmade available for non-WAAS
enabled aircraft to upgrade.After a near four-year run
with the Avidyne Entegra,customers grew anxious forsomething new. In late 2009,Piper started placingthe GarminGlOOOfully integrated flightdeck in the Meridian. With
this new system, owners wereimmersed in the latest technol
ogy,including the integration ofthe Garmin GFC 700 autopilot,
Garmin's Synthetic VisionTechnology, satellite weatherand radio, and a IS-inch MFDin the middle of the panel.
PIPER IS STILL PRODUCING
the Meridian, and the GlOOOremains the avionics platform of choice for new aircraft.
And although pilots and owners always crave the latest andgreatest, there is still heavydemand for previously ownedMAGIC and Avidyne-equippedMeridians, mainly because oflower prices. The base price of abrand-new 2012 Meridian withGlOOOavionics is $2.13million.
A pre-owned 2009 Meridianwith GlOOOcan be bought for$1.5 to $1.6million, dependingon hours, additional equipment, and history. The AvidyneEntegra system is still a worthy competitor to the GlOOO,and a 2006 Avidyne-equippedMeridian with higher-thanfleet-average total time and noWAAS can be found very close
to $1 million. Not surprisingly,the Meggitt MAGIC Meridiansvary the most in price, mainlybecause there is so much vari
ation in airframe and enginehours as well as equipment. Forexample, a buyer can likelypickup an earlier model Meridianfor less than $700,000, but itwill have base avionics, highertime, and the lower maximum
gross weight. Alternatively, onecould spend $900,000 or morefor one with upgraded avionics,lower time, and the high grossweight. Needless to say, thereare Meridians out there fittinga wide range of budgets, butall boast the same impressiveresume: performance and technology flawlessly integratedwith simplicity and proven reliability. AOPA
ANDREW GALLAGHER is a 2.000
hour commercial pilot and CFL
He works in sales and train-
ing at jetAvia in Santa Monica.
California.