What’s New At New Piper … A Jet?

New Piper has been busy the last year or so dealing with hurricanes, union conflicts and more, but now is ready to think about the future. “We’re very, very diligently working” on new product designs, says New Piper CEO Jim Bass, who joined the company just last September. He said he’s not ready to announce any plans yet, but when he does, he’ll have a well-formulated program with target dates, and Piper will “by golly” meet those dates. Plans for a very light jet will be announced later this year, he said. Meanwhile, the company continues to work on enhancements to its current product line, with efforts underway to improve fuel payload, speed, range, avionics and ergonomics. For more from our interview with Bass, including where the company will tend to focus its efforts in the future, check out AVweb‘s podcast, available online tomorrow. Bass also said to watch for some “interesting developments” to be announced at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, coming up in late July.