Country of origin:

United States of America

Description:

Light pressurised business and executive aircraft

Power Plant:

One 231 kw (310 hp) Continental TSIO-520-BE six-cylinder horizontally-opposed air-cooled engine

Specifications:

History:

The Malibu was introduced to the range of single-engine aircraft produced by the Piper company in August 1982 as a competitor for the very successful Cessna P210 Centurion series which, up to that time, was the only pressurised single-engine cabin monoplane available on the market. The design was all new, claimed by the manufacturers to be the first production single-engine general aviation type to be computer-aided in its design and manufacture. Accommodation was provided for a pilot and five passengers in paired individual seats, with a rear airstair door. The cabin pressurisation was designed to give a 2,440 m (8,000 ft) cabin pressure up to 7,620 m (25,000 ft).  Cabin length from the instrument panel to the rear of the cabin was 3.76 m (12 ft 4 in). Baggage could be carried at the rear of the cabin and in a compartment in the nose. Cruising at 75% power at 385 km/h (239 mph), the fuel consumption was 60.6 litres (13.3 Imp gal) per hour.

The first of two prototypes of the series was flown for the first time in late 1980, certification being obtained in mid-1982, with deliveries to customers commencing in August 1982. First of the type in this region arrived in the middle of 1984 for the then Australian distributor, Ansett General Aviation, becoming VH-BTZ on 27 July 1984.  A second aircraft arrived in Sydney in December 1984 (N43783).  This aircraft set a number of records for Class C-1D Group 1 piston-engine fixed-wing aircraft weighing between 1,750 kg and 3,000 kg (3,858 lb and 6,614 lb). It flew from the USA to Australia with two stops, flying the Honolulu to Sydney leg 8,189 km (5,088 miles) non-stop in 24 hours 40 minutes 22 seconds, being delivered by ferry pilot Don Holmes of Globe Aero Co to the then Australian distributor, Pacific Aviation.

Development of the series led to the Malibu Mirage with a maximum certified altitude of Flight Level 250 and a gross weight of 1,429 kg (3,151 lb) with a 261 kw (350 hp) Lycoming TIO-540-AE2A engine.  In more recent years, following the emergence of New Piper Aircraft after the bankruptcy of the old Piper concern, the Malibu has been developed to the Malibu Meridian. This new model was said to be 75% different from the earlier piston-engined Malibu and is fitted with a Pratt & Whitney PT6A-42A turboprop de-rated from 902 kw (1,209 shp) to 298 kw (400 shp), this providing a max cruising speed at 9,150 m (30,000 ft) of 485 km/h (302 mph) and a range, with 45 mins reserves, of 1,981 km (1.231 miles).

One was flown by Peter Wilkins (N9221M) and set a Sydney to Perth record of 13 hrs 13 mins; Perth to Brisbane in 8 hrs 45 mins; and Brisbane to Sydney in 2 hrs 30 mins. In another (N2482Y), which later became ZK-MBU, Brent Ferguson flew across the Pacific covering the 11,800 km (7,332 miles) in early 1987 in 38.5 hours. In 1985 two Auckland pilots flew a Malibu demonstrator (VH-MAL) from North Cape to Bluff, New Zealand, in a time of 4 hrs 16 mins 58 secs. A small number of examples of the series have been registered in this region, one being registered in New Zealand, a PA-46-310P (ZK-MBU – c/n 46-8508094), and six being registered in Australia.

In 2003 a PA-46-310P Malibu (VH-BGK – c/n 46-8508085), which was built in 1985 and powered by a Continental TSIO-520 engine, was flown to the United States where it was fitted with a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-35 turboprop engine by Rocket Engineering Corp of Spokane Washington, the c/n being changed to 560-0089 and the aircraft later returning to its base at Moree, NSW.  In early 2015 a PA-46-310P/JetProp DLX (N49HF) made a world flight from Bremen in Germany on 16 February travelling through Australia via Broome, Alice Springs, Essendon, Bankstown, Moree, Hamilton Island and the Gold Coast, continuing via Port Vila.