PIPER AND CIRRUS: AIRPLANE MANUFACTURERS LAND AT NADA SHOW

Dealer favorite: a Cirrus model

February 13, 2006—As personal aircraft become more popular purchases for dealers, two airplane makers are exhibiting here. Piper offers 11 models, from the four-seat Warrior III (list price: $195,300), which the company says is an ideal student plane, to the luxurious six-seat Meridian ($1,895,000). The 29.6-foot, 500-hp Meridian gives a quiet, smooth, jet-like ride, Piper claims. It has all-leather seats and extra leg- and head room. Options include a hazard-avoidance system, flight tracking and text messaging, satellite weather updates, a CD player, and a golf-bag restraint.

Cirrus’s five models all come standard with a whole airframe parachute recovery system—CAPS—that the pilot or passengers can activate in an emergency; a terrain-awareness warning system; and wings designed to hinder stalling and rolling. The best-selling SR22-G2 ($349,750) seats four. Options include weather and lightning reports, traffic info, and tinted windows.