PIPER

Piper Aircraft, Inc. is a manufacturer of general aviation aircraft based in Vero Beach, Florida, United States. The company was founded in 1927 as the Taylor Brothers Aircraft Manufacturing Company by brothers Clarence G. Taylor and Gordon A. Taylor in Rochester, New York. It went through a series of name changes and bankruptcies before being purchased by William T. Piper in 1930 and reorganized as the Taylor Aircraft Company. Piper believed in creating a simple-to-operate, low-cost private airplane and developed the famous E-2 Cub. Throughout much of the mid-to-late 20th century, the company was one of the “Big Three” in the field of general aviation manufacturing, along with Beechcraft and Cessna. Since 2009, the company has been owned by the Brunei Ministry of Finance. Over the years, Piper has produced 144,000 aircraft in 160 certified models, of which 90,000 are still flying.