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Pilots new to the Meridian flight lessons are often asked by their insurance underwriter to receive additional dual flight instruction consisting of initial operating experience (IOE) from an approved instructor beyond what is normally given in a standard training program.

PIPER MERIDIAN PA46-500T OK-TOP. This American-made, single-engine, turboprop plane is known for its high performance and economical fuel consumption that is among the best in its class.

seating for 6 (pilot + 5 persons)
cruising speed - 250 kt
cruising flight level 28.000 ft
range - 1.300 NM

If the Meridian has an Achilles' wing, it's probably payload. Like the derivative Mirage, the Meridian is challenged to carry full fuel and six folks. That's not a big surprise, as nothing else in the class will do that job either. The typical, well-equipped Meridian features a useful load of 1,700 pounds. Subtract 170 gallons (1,139 pounds) of fuel, and you're left with about 561 paying pounds, three very small folks and toothbrushes, or two real people and some cargo (considering the rising weight of Americans).

The good news is that with 170-gallon tanks, you have the flexibility to carry a light load a long way (nearly 1,000 nm) or leave some kerosene behind and haul more paying pounds. Better still, you could leave from the airport nearest your home on your own schedule (without hassling with TSA), keep your shoes on and carry whatever you wished in your baggage, knowing that all your belongings would arrive at the same time and place you do at no extra charge, and you wouldn't need to manhandle suitcases from a carousel.

If the stage length is shorter, you could fly with, say, 120 gallons instead of 170 gallons, and cabin payload would increase to almost 800 pounds. That would allow short business trips of two-and-a-half hours, 600 nm in zero wind. That's as long as many people are willing to sit in an airplane anyway, even one as comfortable as a Meridian.

​Sanchez Aviation Training Services offers Meridian flight lessons pilot school learn to fly offers this supplemental training. This includes flight planning, weather briefing, pre-flight and post-flight inspections, classroom sessions and impromptu briefings as required up to eight hours per day.

Master your aircraft now with Piper Meridian flight lessons pilot school learn to fly by Sanchez Aviation Training Services.

Sanchez Aviation Training Services is authorized Piper Meridian flight lessons pilot school learn to fly

Piper’s Meridian is an outgrowth of the Malibu/Mirage design that utilizes a 500-shaft-horsepower Pratt & Whitney PT6-42A in place of a 350-horsepower Lycoming or 310-horsepower Continental piston engine. 

During Meridian flight training the pilot will notice that the Meridian shares virtually the same airframe as the Mirage, there are substantial differences in operating the aircraft as a turbine in the nose.

Meridians have a larger horizontal stabilizer to counteract the added power and a larger wing root to hold the extra fuel required for the thirstier engine. Maximum takeoff weight is also about 500 pounds more than the Mirage, at 4,850 pounds.

When it first appeared, the Meridian’s skimpy maximum takeoff weight proved to be a real impediment to the airplane’s usefulness in hauling people and gear.

These Meridian fly higher, and faster, than their predecessors offering the owner/pilots enhanced flying opportunities. The Piper utilizes a number of the same systems as in the Mirage, which offers the potential Meridian pilot an easier upgrade path.

The new Piper Meridian takes all of the strength of its predecessor and combines that with enhanced safety and performance features to create the much sought after Meridian.

The new Piper Meridian is a pressurized, single-engine turboprop aircraft that comes equipped with a 500 hp Pratt & Whitney PT6A-42A turbine engine and is capable of a 260 ktas max cruise speed and a 1,000 nm range.

The Meridian new features a spacious six-place interior that offers more room than ever before and an improved Garmin G1000 avionics suite that has enhanced safety features such as the automatic level mode that allows the pilot to bring the aircraft to a neutral position simply by pushing a blue button.

Just like its predecessor, the Meridian continues to offer the best value in its class and received the proud distinction of being named the “Best of the Best Personal Aircraft for 2015” by luxury lifestyle magazine the Robb Report.

Sanchez Aviation Training Services offer Meridian flight lessons pilot school learn to fly. And teaches you an integrated number of avionics options in the various model years, it was the pioneer in introducing the full suite of advanced avionics into single engine turboprop airplanes. 

Additional Information
Official Piper Meridian Page
Piper Meridian on Wikipedia​

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Piper Meridian flight lessons pilot school learn to fly