Aircraft
Flying Piper’s Turboprop-single M700 Fury
More power gives pilots a big boost in performance
Piper M700 Fury
Piper’s M700 Fury climbs and cruises faster than its predecessor, the M600 SLS. © David McIntosh/AIN

After flying Piper Aircraft’s new turboprop-single M700 Fury, it’s clear that this is the airplane that customers have been waiting for. A larger engine with 100 more shaft horsepower boosts performance, yet it’s still possible to fly as efficiently as the previous model, the M600 SLS.

I flew the M700 in May with Piper manager of engineering flight test Joel Glunt at Piper’s Vero Beach, Florida headquarters. Coincidentally, Piper had just received FAA flight into known icing approval for the airplane. The remaining certification item is unpaved runway approval, which is expected shortly.