This Is Piper's New Fastest Single-Engine Plane: The M700 Fury
We get hundreds of new car models each year, with thousands of existing models to choose from if you want to buy one. But if you're looking for a new plane to purchase for you and your friends or family, the pickings are much slimmer, with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) listing less than 85 brand-new propeller plane models for sale.
That's why a new plane is always big news among airplane enthusiasts. Piper's announcement of a new single-engine turboprop is no different; it's making quite a stir in general aviation circles.
The company, which produced iconic aircraft, such as the Piper Cub, Cherokee, Seneca, and Tomahawk, is introducing the M700 Fury. Although it's not an all-new model, it's the fastest model Piper has on offer. So, let's check out the details on the M700 Fury, its availability date, and the competitors this hot new Piper is taking on.
What is the Piper M700 Fury?
The Piper M700 Fury is the newest model in Piper's M-class light general aviation aircraft line. This line started in 1983 with the Piper Malibu and was one of the fastest propeller planes you can get in its time. Nearly 20 years after its introduction, the Malibu received a massive engine upgrade when Piper used the legendary Pratt & Whitney PT6 turboprop for the Malibu Meridian in 2000.
Piper has since renamed the Malibu and the Malibu Meridian as the M350 and M500, and it also introduced the M600 in 2015 — essentially an improved version of the M500 with a longer wingspan, greater range, and improved avionics.
The M700 Fury improves on the M600 with a more powerful variant of the PT6 engine that offers 700 hp (hence the M700 name) and a reversible five-bladed propeller to match. Owing to its improved engine performance, the M700 has a shorter takeoff and landing distance than the M600. It also has an impressive climb rate of over 2,000 feet per minute, letting it hit its service ceiling in less than 15 minutes.
But its biggest bragging right is its 301-knot (346 mph or 557 kph) maximum cruising speed, making it the fastest single-engine Piper you can get and second only to the Cheyenne as the fastest Piper ever.
When can you get the M700 Fury?
According to Piper's press release, it expects the M700 Fury to receive FAA certification before the end of the first half of 2024, meaning you can get your hands on this new turboprop by June 2024 or earlier. It is also working on certifying the M700 in other countries, like Canada, the U.K., EASA members, and Brazil, with the company expecting certification before the end of 2024 and deliveries starting immediately as soon as the M700 is certified.
That means we can soon see the M700 gracing our skies, with the plane capable of flying from Miami to Houston in less than three hours, Miami to Colombia in three and a half hours, and London to Madrid in less than four hours. So, if you're looking for a fast turboprop that will take you and your family, friends, or associates to places and save you time, the M700 Fury is an excellent option.
Other comparable single-engine turboprops
The Piper M700 Fury might be a tempting offer if you're in the market for a new turboprop single. But it's competing against other similar light, fast aircraft, like the Pilatus PC-12NG, Socata TBM 900, and Epic E1000.
These aircraft usually have a base starting price of around $4 million. Since Piper claims that the M700 Fury is priced at over a million dollars more affordable than its competitors, its entry-level variant should start at around $3 million. However, Piper did not mention the competitors it's looking at, so we will only see the official price once we see closed deals and received deliveries.
Nevertheless, we are still excited to see the M700 Fury fly in the skies, with its excellent performance and presumably lower cost than the competition. And if you combine this with its updated avionics and advanced safety features, Piper has a potential winner in its hands that will face off with the popular Pilatus PC-12.