85 Years of Piper Aircraft

This year Piper Aircraft celebrates its 85th anniversary.  From the iconic yellow Cub to the game changing M600, Piper Aircraft is a force in the manufacture of quality aircraft.

The Piper Aircraft Company began its roots as the Taylor Aircraft, Co. in Bradford, PA. Officially founded on 1 November 1937 following William T. Piper’s purchase of the company shares of joint owner Gilbert Taylor. The newly renamed aircraft company immediately increased production and went on to lead innovation within the general aviation market for the next eight decades. The iconic Piper Cub was introduced in 1938.

1940s

The Cub’s heyday came with the U.S. entry into World War II. By 1941 Piper Cubs accounted for more than 60% of U.S. registered civilian light aircraft. Thousands of Cub variants, such as the L-4, were employed by the armed forces as reconnaissance, ambulance and supply transport aircraft.

By the end of the war, ​​75% of all civilian pilot training program pilots had trained on a Piper Cub, and its popularity carried on into the late 40s and 50s as thousands of ex-military Cubs were re-registered as civilian aircraft by their enthusiastic pilots.

The Super Cub was launched in 1949, with a more powerful engine, an electrical system and flaps. It was a popular craft for use in bush flying, agricultural work, banner and glider towing and military operations. The Super Cub remained in production through the 1990s, with more than 10,000 aircraft built during its 40-year production run. Even today, hundreds of replicas have been built.

1950s

The next major addition to the Piper family was the PA-22 Tri-Pacer in 1951, featuring a shorter wingspan, a control yoke, a nosewheel and offering four seats. The Tri-Pacer outsold its predecessor, the PA-20 Pacer, six to one.

In 1958, Piper launched the PA-24 Comanche. Together with the Twin Comanche (first introduced in 1963), together they made up the core of the Piper line-up until 1972.

By November of 1959, more than 50,000 Pipers had been produced. Piper Aircraft opened an additional manufacturing and development facility that same year in Vero Beach, Florida, where Piper Aircraft is still headquartered today. The design team at Vero Beach’s first project was an agricultural aircraft, the PA-25 Pawnee.

In 1954, Piper built its first twin-engine aircraft, the PA-23 Apache, evolving into the Aztec. The Aztec offered more powerful engines, five-seats, and later six-seat, configurations.

1960s

In 1961, Piper introduced USD5 trial flight lessons at its dealerships and saw the introduction of the PA-28 Cherokee. Piper’s best known spam can brand. The Cherokee spawned a number of other Piper aircraft, such as the Cherokee six, Warrior, Dakota, Archer and Arrow, and even the twin Seneca. The PA-31 Navajo appeared in 1967, followed by the Chieftain and even a pressurised version. By the end of the decade, Piper sales would exceed USD100 million for the first time.

1970s

In 1972, tragedy struck when Hurricane Agnes flooded the original Lock Haven plant, effectively ending the Piper PA-24 Comanche. 1972 also saw the opening of a new manufacturing facility in Lakeland, Florida and the introduction of the PA-34 Seneca, a twin-engine evolution of the PA-32 Cherokee Six.

In 1974, Piper’s first turboprop aircraft, the PA-31T Cheyenne was launched. Just two years later, it was a Cheyenne that made history as Piper’s 100,000th aircraft produced (S/N 31T-7620023). The Tomahawk two-seat trainer launched in 1978, and in 1979, the PA-44 Seminole was launched as a four-place, twin-engine derivative of the PA-28R Cherokee Arrow.

1980s

In the 1980s, the Piper Aviation Museum was formed as a branch of the Lock Haven Hersey Historical Museum. In 1984, the museum moved into the old Piper engineering building at Lock Haven.

In 1982, the 125,000th Piper rolled off the production line. In 1983, the PA-46 Malibu, the predecessor of the modern Piper M-Class, received its type certification. The Malibu Mirage went on to set many world speed records throughout the 80s and the aircraft’s manoeuvrability, reduced fuel consumption and extended range still make it for popular business and personal use.

The mid-1980s were a challenging time for American light aircraft manufacturers, as increasing product liability insurance premiums put a financial strain on Piper and its competitors, with Piper changing hands several times during this period, cutting prices and selling the Lakeland factory.

1990s till today

Piper re-emerged with the launch of the Archer III in 1994. In 2000, the Piper Meridian — a turboprop version of the Malibu — received its certification. The Meridian would later see the addition of the Garmin G1000 avionics system in 2009. 

In 2015, Piper unveiled the M-Class: three top-of-the-line personal and business aircraft that elevated the Meridian designs. The M350, M500, and M600/SLS. The M600/SLS became HALO certified in 2020 and was the first aircraft to market that was equipped and certified with Garmin Autoland, which would take over the operation and landing of the aircraft in the event of the pilot becoming incapacitated.

The 2020s have brought numerous milestones so far: the 5,000th Piper Archer, and the 1,000th Seminole.

Thousands of enthusiasts and dedicated fans worldwide keep the Piper spirit alive and thriving, even more than 85 years after the Cub took its first flight. From 1937 to today, Piper Aircraft has continued to develop safer, faster and easier-to-operate aircraft for consumers across the globe.