** Piper Archer TX**
The mood at the Piper booth at Sun 'n Fun in Lakeland, Florida, has been upbeat this week to say the least. After Monday's announcement of a 35-airplane order from CAE Oxford Aviation Academy, another contract was signed with Airline Transport Professionals that could potentially replace the school's entire single-engine airplane fleet.
The deal encompasses up to 100 airplanes over the next three years. A firm order was placed for 15 Piper Archer TX airplanes to be delivered later this year. Also part of the contract was an option to purchase another 85 Archers in the next three years.
“ATP is transitioning our fleet to Pipers because these airplanes offer rugged dispatch reliability, technological flexibility in cockpit avionics and instrumentation and operational economy,” said ATP vice president Jim Koziarski. The Archers will be equipped with Garmin’s G500 PFD/MFD combination.
ATP specializes in professional pilot training, mostly for budding airline pilots. In addition to its single engine trainers, the company operates 107 Piper Seminole twins at its campuses around the country. Fifteen of those airplanes are less than two years old, part of a contract ATP signed with Piper in 2011 for 30 Seminoles.
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