Structural dimensions of the PA-47 included an overall length of 35.7 feet, a wingspan of 44.2 feet and a height of 15.7 feet.
The powerplant-of-choice for the new PiperJet became the compact and proven Williams FJ44-3AP turbofan engine outputting 2,820lb of thrust. This provided the aircraft with a cruising speed nearing 415 miles-per-hour, a service range out to 1,500 miles, and a service ceiling up to 35,000 feet. A vectored thrust nozzle was eventually added to the engine to improve control and construction of the unit. The engine itself was born from the FJ33 and first appeared in 1985 - having since powered such types as the Cessna CitationJet, the Saab 105 and the Grob G180 SPn.
The PA-47 suffered through many delays during its development period and, before long, the decision by Piper authorities had been made to pursue the PiperJet Altaire instead. Existing PA-47 customers were rolled over into this new initiative which was largely influence in both form and function by the existing PiperJet prototype. The PiperJet Altaire was itself cancelled (or "suspended indefinitely") in October of 2011 due to rising development costs and VLJ market projections and this inevitably led to a layoff of some 150 Piper employees and refunds / product credits for its customers. The company then moved its focus to turboprop-powered types for the foreseeable future.
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