The aircraft was manufactured in 1984. They are quietly giving affected owners generous warranty adjustments on engines which are long out of the original warranty. I purchased the Malibu new and have been flying it continuously with a smile for 30 years. Piper’s execution left something to be desired. Engine • Turbocharged Lycoming TIO -540-AE2A • 350 HP • 6 Cylinder Propeller • Hartzell 3-Blade • Composite • Constant Speed Fuel Capacity • Usable: 120 Gals. Unless otherwise noted, these reviews carry product pricing from the time of the original review. Kevin knows the airplane. I recently flew mine on 1000-milelegsfrom California to Alaska and then for thousands of nautical miles aroundAlaska going in and out ofshort dirt strips with four people and luggage without a problem. The PA-46-310P Malibu seats up to 5 passengers plus 1 pilot. It falls short in the execution-far short, sometimes-but when it works, theres nothing like it. Initial acceleration is sluggish, although the airplane will get in and out of 3000-foot strips at sea level with relative ease. The Malibu Mirage came equipped with a Textron Lycoming TIO-540-AE2A 350hp engine, which gave it a … Later models have overhead switches that are a challenge for the presbyopic set and concern us from a crashworthiness standpoint. The Malibu is not an airplane that just any shop can fix. My biggest dislike about this aircraft is that it came from the factory with a plexiglass windshield, which interferes with visibility and the heating element. You can likely pick up a 2008 Matrix for around $600,000. The turbine-powered Meridian uses the same basic airframe the Malibu pioneered but with substantial modifications. It was also equipped with spoilers, moving map and TCAD. Unfortunately, as the model evolved and became the Mirage, its reputation didnt improve. Many PA-46 incidents occur during landing. The lack of cowl flaps doesn’t help matters. Although the company succeeded, its success was haunted by engineering decisions made early in the program. The company is based in Spokane, Washington. That’s not a criticism of the Meridian—the turboprop conversions of the Cessna 206, 207 and 210, Beech Bonanza and Piper Malibu/Mirage wrestle with the same problem. This website contains many older reviews. (Actually, some of the later Malibu models got the electric flaps and improved hydraulics for the gear. Finally, on December 5, 1991, the review was published. I have an ATP rating and have logged 9000 hours of flight time. Starting up front, however, the cockpit isnt exactly cavernous. The Certificate of Registration had been issued on 11 September 2015. In my research, I found this failure occurred several other times. But it will comfortably carry four people and baggage with full tanks, yielding a non-stop range of about 1400 miles for the Malibu and 1000 to 1200 miles for the Mirage. Although the gear can be extended at up to 170 KIAS, I cringe at the thought of doing so. Full control deflection is needed at 17 knots crosswind. The aviation press dutifully reported the news: The Malibu and Mirage, as well as their autopilots, were in full compliance with certification rules. Pressurizing a single isn’t easy—Mooney’s Mustang was a bust. We go once per year to Kansas City (Tom Duetch) for a day and have learned at lot over the years. Owners emphasize the value of having a knowledgeable maintenance shop doing routine and ongoing work on the airplane. One owner cited this as the reason he chose the Malibu over the Mirage. On trips of any length, most owners climb rapidly into at least the high teens but the airplane is perfectly at home up to FL250. Although the company succeeded, its success was haunted by engineering decisions made early in the program. During descents, it’s easy to get above maneuvering speed or even redline if you’re not paying attention. I decided to buy a Continental-powered Malibu when learning of all the Lycoming engine problems. Retraction speed is much lower, at 130 knots (Malibu) and 126 knots (Mirage) KIAS. The aircraft involved was a Piper PA-46 Malibu, a six-seat type equipped with a single piston engine, registered in the United States as N264DB, serial number 46-8408037. Maintenance continues to be a big headache for PA-46 owners, regardless of the powerplant type. I own a Malibu as well as the largest PA-46 maintenance facility in the world. I was pleasantly surprised by the fit and finish of the airplane, perhaps having been biased by so many forlorn old Piper trainers that I’ve seen parked behind flying clubs. Here was a pressurized, high-flying luxury ride capable of 200-knots and with impressive range to boot. Although owners generally raved—and still rave—about the Malibu’s impressive capabilities, it gained a reputation as a problem airplane. The hydraulics also ran the flaps on early models. That goes against what most pilots had been taught-at least before the current rage about lean-of-peak ops-and a fair number ignored the instructions and ran rich of peak. Piper’s sleek Malibu/Mirage pressurized singles have always been good performers once they get up to altitude. Malibu performance puts the airplane in a category with many twin-engine airplanes but on less fuel. I may hold the record for the longest ownership of a PA-46, having bought mine new from the factory in 1984. The original Malibu is far superior to the Mirage, in our opinion, for the following reasons: The engine is much less prone to in-flight shutdown, the rate of fuel burn is an honest 5 GPH lower (16 versus 21 GPH) which translates to a significant rangeand payload advantage, performance is substantially equal given that the aircraft is about 200 pounds lighter. 200-Knot Buzzkill: MX, Insurance Realities. Its much greater speed demands that one stays ahead of the airplane even more. Figure on about 12 minutes-two passengers, 70 gallons of fuel, cool weather-to 15,000 feet from a 500-foot field elevation. The resulting forward baggage area is an impressive 33 cubic feet. For more than five decades, active and dedicated aircraft owners and pilots have turned to AVIATION CONSUMER to answer their most important buying questions. NTSB records reveal that more Malibus than Mirages have had engine failures leading to accidents. Here was a pressurized, high-flying luxury ride capable of 200-knots and with impressive range to boot. Its 350-horsepower Lycoming TIO-540 engine lets you cruise at altitudes up to … On the downside, Malibus were manufactured in the same milieu and function amidstthe same economic backdropwhich overhangs all GA aircraft.Small airplanes are manufacturedin the same way thatflintlocks were made in the 18th century; by hand, one at a time.This hurts QC. 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