South African businessman Colin Chapman is enjoying plenty of activity in his Piper Meridian. The aircraft is leased to his steel distribution business NJR Steel Holdings, and completes regular 686 nm commutes between Johannesburg and Cape Town in order to visit customers and suppliers. Other common destinations include Namibia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Zambia.

“It's been a great machine, exceptionally economical and reason-able to run; it is a Piper after all,” he tells EBAN. “True airspeed at altitude FL270 is 260 kts burning 270 lbs.

“I only have two gripes; range and payload. Full tanks give you 473 lbs of payload. The still air range is 1,000 nm but the reality of flying to Cape Town from Johannesburg is that you are very often battling the winds, which range from 20 kts to more than 100. The closest alternate, George airport, is 250 nm away and with headwinds greater than 30 kts you can struggle to make it with legal reserves.”

He would consider an upgrade to the new M600 to solve these issues, and the TBM would be another option. “The TBM is in a different price class though, and I believe it is very expensive to maintain,” he admits. “As we all know, the maths doesn't often work out on owning aircraft, meaning that this business is both a sickness and a passion!”