Piper announces largest order ever

Robert Luthy, L3 Academy director for the company’s Sanford, Florida, operation said the demand for pilots is strong and L3 is building capacity to fill it through its Sanford operation, another at Jacksonville University, one in Portugal, one in the United Kingdom, and another in New Zealand. He said the company, which also has Cirrus, Diamond, and Cessna models, will ultimately fly only Pipers as the new airplanes are phased in over the next several years. The company has already taken delivery of 26 new Piper aircraft.

The big L3 order comes on the heels of other recent orders by ATP Flight School, which ordered 100 more Piper airplanes after recently completing the delivery of 100 airplanes. A flight school in China ordered 152 airplanes last year. The result, according to Piper CEO Simon Caldecott, is that the company has some 700 airplanes on back order. To fulfill the demand, Piper has expanded its work force to more than 1,000 and continues to hire new employees. It has also set up a production line dedicated to training airplanes at its Vero Beach, Florida, headquarters, and incorporated 3-D-printed parts and other modern manufacturing processes to improve efficiencies.