Please send us your experiences on your aircraft. Cruise speed: 470 km/h. The PA-46’s claim to fame is that it’s a six-place airplane with cabin-class comfort. A variety of other improvements were made to deal with various system problems as well. Range: 1,953 km. Piper PA-46-350P Malibu Mirage - Performance Data. Gross weight (lbs. Contact JetProp here. 25,000 ft | 7,620 m Max Approved Altitude 1,343 nm | 2,487 km Max Range. After leveling and setting power at max cruise, I watched the DME gradually count up to 260 knots—a solid 60 knots better than book. - Aircraft specific reviews and articles. 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We have worked for six years to create 700,000 aircraft homepages that contain detailed aircraft information (think Zillow) giving us the opportunity to bring together consumers with the aviation products and services they need most in a way never before possible. The Continental package evolved into such a nightmare—piston pins and crankshaft bearings in particular—that in 1987, Piper asked owners to ground their airplanes voluntarily until the problems could be worked out. Other than oil changes, it generally does not require additional maintenance between annual inspections. The Piper PA-61 Aerostar was designed by Ted R. Smith as a twin-engined propeller-driven aircraft produced from 1967 to 1984. Best Range (i): 1,261 NM. It’s cold back there in the flight levels, even during the summer. If extended range fuel is available (another 20 gallons fuel), then the range goes up to over 7 hours in … ... Cruise speed: 470 km/h. Best Cruise Speed: 212 KIAS. The cruise speed is 225 kts, the stall speed is 61 kts, and the range is 990 miles. The airplane will now do an ILS missed approach at Chihauhau, Mexico, without any circling or other gymnastics. Cruise speed drops to 200 KTAS at FL200. spd. You can likely pick up a 2008 Matrix for around $600,000. I found no surprises while transitioning to the Mirage. From the beginning, buyers favored a Lycoming because of a perceived reputation for reliability and robustness. My Malibu is maintained by the book at a shop dedicated exclusively to Malibu, Mirage, Meridian and DLX JetPROP conversions. One place it’s not at home is taking off from short runways. Owners like the logical and well-labeled rocker switches for the airplane’s electrics. Max. The group has excellent information on ownership issues. There’s a lot of flexibility to trade off between fuel and passengers, especially with the low fuel consumption and 120-gallon capacity. The Piper PA-46 Malibu and Matrix are a family of American light aircraft manufactured by Piper Aircraft of Vero Beach, Florida.The aircraft is powered by a single engine and has the capacity for one pilot and five passengers. This, along with the autopilot and weather factors, was implicated in a string of inflight breakups that led to a great deal of consternation (and an AD-mandated restriction on operations) in 1991. Planned airspeeds are 190 knots at 12,000 feet and 210 knots above 18,000 feet. So, despite the increase in 40 HP, the Mirage is no faster than the Malibu and climbs no better than a Malibu – it only burns more fuel. Maintenance is a serious activity—I figure $7000 to $10,000 for an annual inspection—and only use shops that really know the airplane and maintain a lot of them. spd. The base price was an eye-watering $275,000, but with accessories the typical invoice swelled to more than $320,000, or $550,000 in 2003 dollars. Its 350-horsepower Lycoming TIO-540 engine lets you cruise at altitudes up to 25,000 feet and true airspeeds as fast as 225 knots. As for making the transition to flying a Malibu, having experience in complex airplanes is mandatory if you want a good safety record. Specifications. Sharp stick-and-rudder work in crosswinds is a must. The first notch of flaps can be extended at the same time as the gear. To beat down the fuel flow, Continental required pilots to lean the engine to 50 degrees lean of peak for all operations below 80 percent power, which is the maximum recommended cruise setting. I was told this plane is the best bang for the buck in its class, and I have not been disappointed during multiple years of ownership. Initial acceleration is sluggish, although the airplane will get in and out of 3000-foot strips at sea level with relative ease. Owners emphasize the value of having a knowledgeable maintenance shop doing routine and ongoing work on the airplane. Dispatch reliability is excellent—I average 250 hours per year. 0 I have owned a 1990 Mirage for several years. The Mirage’s Lycoming engine is larger and the accessory layout is different, so the forward baggage bay in the Mirage is a bit smaller than that of the Malibu. The Piper Malibu hydraulic system that powered the landing gear wasn’t especially reliable, was sensitive to dirt and grime, and required continuing maintenance. With the introduction of the Piper Mirage, some of the quirky systems were addressed. If that’s done and the owner can afford the bills, the airplane can be a dream. Cabin and cockpit noise are on the low side as GA airplanes go. Who are we? Potential business lines include aviation data services (to consumers or manufacturers), aircraft brokerage, financing and insurance, marketing and advertising, and targeted sales of products ranging from avionics to t-shirts, and services ranging from overhauls to flight instruction. Malibu pilots report cruise speeds of 205 knots TAS at FL220 at 67 percent power and 210 knots true at FL250 at 75 percent. As one owner put it, “It’s expensive to operate for a piston single, but cheap for what it does.” We think that fairly sums up the Malibu. The Malibu prototype emerged from the Vero Beach plant in late 1982, amidst much fanfare and excitement. Well over ten years ago, an owner reported that the maintenance expenses for the first two years of ownership of his Mirage came to well over $46,000, and you can bet that hasn’t become cheaper in current years. Generally, at altitudes above 23,000 feet, the airplane engine is not happy and requires perfect operating etiquette. ). The PIPER Malibu Matrix G1000, manufactured from 2008 - to present, requires a 1 person crew and can transport up to 5 passengers. In 1986, I made a decision in which I am still reaping the rewards: I downsized from a Cessna 414A twin to a Piper Malibu single. : 2000 Propeller: Const. Useful load worked out to be 80 pounds less than planned; not a deal breaker, but a weight equivalent to fuel for IFR reserves. Its 350-horsepower Lycoming TIO-540 engine lets you cruise at altitudes up to 25,000 feet and true airspeeds as fast as 225 knots. As owners report, the PA-46 is well-supported by one of the best owner groups in general aviation, the Malibu/Mirage Owners and Pilots Association found at www.mmopa.com. Mirage pilots pay more at the gas pumps but in exchange, they go a little faster, with speeds typically of 220 knots at FL230-250 at 75 percent power burning 18.8 GPH. - Send us pictures of your plane. We’re not talking Bonanza handling here but the controls are responsive, with pitch the lightest and roll the heaviest. TIO-540AE2A Horsepower: 350 TBO hrs. All rights reserved. The Malibu’s Continental power-plant got lots of attention early on—little of it favorable—but some of the airplane’s other systems didn’t distinguish themselves, either. Service ceiling 25,000ft. Piper Aircraft no longer refers to their top-of-the-line aircraft with the names Malibu, Malibu Mirage or Malibu Meridian. We have the aviators. Piper’s execution left something to be desired. The would-be owners turned out to be correct, at least initially. But no positive link was confirmed and the airplane was given a clean bill of health. WORLD'S PREMIER INDEPENDENT AVIATION NEWS RESOURCE. Both are sensitive to proper operating technique. Internal baggage capacity is the amount of available baggage which can be stowed inside the aircraft where the… To make the airplane appealing to what Piper thought was its core market, the company called for exceptional range well beyond the fuel specifics of most six-cylinder engines. Laminar Flow Systems, Inc. - Manufacturing & Selling Piper Aircraft Sped Modifications Since 1984. Engine reliability has not been good, although the airplane is such a good glider that many events didn’t become an NTSB report because the pilot was able to land safely on an airport. : 2000 Propeller: Const. Aside from its advanced features, it finally gave the airplane the tight autopilot performance it deserves, especially on coupled approaches. Advertisement Piper 1998 PA-46-350P Malibu Mirage Engine make/model: Lyc. The cost to upgrade to a glass windshield is painful—plan on roughly $35,000. After six months of ownership, I replaced the engine with a 460-hours-since-new surplus engine from Rocket Engineering (from a PA-46 that was converted to turboprop) and a three-blade prop conversion. 2014 PIPER MALIBU MIRAGE. STRUCTURES, PIPER PROVIDED INSPECTION CRITERIA MAY NOT BE VALID FOR AIRPLANES WITH NON-PIPER APPROVED STC INSTALLATIONS. Performance Summary. About 50 percent of my flights are under 140 miles and the rest are over 750 miles. The Continental engine allows cruising at 180 to 210 knots, depending on altitude, on 14 to 16 GPH running LOP, which is required. Best Range: 1261 NM Piper M-Class. Ironically, Piper launched the Malibu in 1984 into what was an overall GA slump. Now we need to connect them with products and services. Thousands of Satisfied Customers Worldwide! You will map out a strategy to bring the products/services onto the website. After owning a Cessna 182T and T206, I purchased a 2010 Mirage. The long wings produce another undesirable trait: The roll rate at slow speeds is somewhat ponderous compared to other singles. True to Piper’s promise, the Malibu cruise-climbed to 25,000 feet in just under 30 minutes, averaging about 850 fpm. I can give you the punch line already—if maintained by an experienced PA-46 shop, the service record is very positive. While we have received reports of squawk lists on annuals reaching 25 percent of the value of the airplane, the majority of owners say that they recognize it’s expensive to maintain a pressurized single and if they stay ahead of the game, the price is not outrageous. Range in no-wind conditions is 1400 NM with reserves and three people on board. Anyone contemplating buying one should be ready to pay what we consider to be substantial maintenance bills, with the reward being fast cruise speeds above the weather in pressurized comfort and with reasonable payload. The Mirage also got some big-airplane type features that owners appreciate, including a dual-bus electrical system, internal windshield deice, standard dual alternators and vacuum pumps and an auxiliary heater for the cabin. If you haven't seen Flight Simulator 2020, make a point of it. Are you sure you want to delete your review? 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