Darling Downs and back at
10,000 feet while truing out
at a respectable 240KTAS.
This f light ably exhibited the
M600’s ability to be used as
an executive transport aircraft
or family high performance
touring aircraft seating six
adults in comfort.Looking it over
This particular aircraft had
been fitted with the optional
five-bladed composite propeller,
which provided smooth
performance with a marginal
increase in thrust and therefore
performance over the standard
4-bladed Hartzell propeller.
That extra blade also means
a slightly smaller diameter
and therefore increased
ground clearance.
This was the first strikingfeature I noticed as I walked up to
the aircraft outside Archerfield ’s
Jet Base hangar. With the PA-
46’s long nose accommodating
the 600 horsepower f lat rated
PT6A-42A, the aircraft looks
similar to the older models until
you look much closer.
The M600 has a totally new
designed wing from previous PA-
46 models that results in reduced
drag while being able to carry a
total of 996 litres of Jet A-1 in two
internal wing tanks.
Apart from the increase in
power, the new wing design
gives the M600 the better
weight carrying capability and
cruise efficiency. Other drag
improvements include the radar
bulb now being mounted in
line with the wing rather than
being slung under the wing.
This also reduces drag by almostaustralianflying.com.au 33
July – August 2018 AUSTRALIAN FLYINGeliminating interference
drag caused by the previous
pylon mount.
The larger area wing
also allowed for the main
undercarriage to be mounted
somewhat further aft and
with a wider wheel track,
which aids in excellent
ground handling qualities.
Each wing leading edge is
equipped with pneumatic boots
for de-icing and along with a small
LED light on the fuselage side
below each cockpit window to
enable the pilot to observe if any
ice is present at night.
The vertical tail and horizontal
tailplane are also similarly
equipped with leading edge boots.
To keep the airf low attached
around the rear of the fuselage
and f lowing smoothly over the
lower sections of the rudder, Piperverybody knows that the
Kennedy Space Center at Cape
Canaveral on Florida’s Atlantic
coast is famous for rocket
ships, but south of "The Cape"
is Piper’s factory at Vero Beach
where their latest rocket ship–
the M600–is being produced.
The latest in the PA-46 line
of aircraft that includes the
-310P Malibu, -350P Malibu
Mirage and -500TP Malibu
Meridian, the M600 continues
Piper's success with high
performance singles.
During the recent
demonstration tour of the M600
in Australia, Australian Flying
magazine was fortunate enough
to have the opportunity to f ly the
demonstration aircraft, N858SG,
when it visited Archerfield.
The demonstration f light
included a f light to the
Returning to the
ramp past the
historic Archereld
terminal building.