View source for Piper PA-46 Malibu and M-Series

{{Aircraft infobox
| name = Piper PA-46 Malibu and M-Series
| image = HS-POT (11286250504).jpg
| caption = Piper PA-46 Malibu and M-Series. Photo: Alec Wilson from Solihull, United Kingdom, CC BY-SA 2.0, via [[commons:File:HS-POT (11286250504).jpg|Wikimedia Commons]]
| make = Piper
| type = Light aircraft
| origin = United States
| first_flight = 30 November 1979
| produced = 1979—present
| status = In production
| number_built = 1,000 (as of early 2024)
| faa_registered = 1,598 (FAA register, October 30, 2026)
| category = Piston singles
}}

The '''Piper PA-46''', today sold as the '''Piper M-Class''' and earlier as the Malibu, Malibu Mirage, Malibu Meridian and Matrix, is a family of six-seat, single-engine airplanes built by Piper Aircraft of Vero Beach, Florida. The 20th-century airplanes all had piston engines (today's M350); turboprop versions are the M500 (formerly the Malibu Meridian), M600 and M700 Fury.<ref name="wp"/> In the U.S. there are 1,598 with a valid registration.<ref name="faa"/>

As of 2026 the M350 is the only pressurized piston airplane in production, with a range of 1,343 nmi, and the insurance industry rates it among the safest single-engine airplanes.<ref name="wp"/>

== History ==
Work began in the late 1970s, and the PA-46-300T prototype first flew on November 30, 1979. Piper announced it in November 1982, apparently to compete with Cessna's pressurized [[Cessna 210 Centurion|P210 Centurion]]. The original Malibu was the third pressurized single-engine piston airplane, after the Mooney M22 and the Cessna P210, but has stayed in production far longer. It was certified in September 1983, and 404 were built with Continental TSIO-520 engines.<ref name="wp"/>

* '''Malibu Mirage''' (1988): a more reliable and powerful Lycoming engine; today's M350.<ref name="wp"/>
* '''Malibu Meridian''' (2000): the first turboprop version; today's M500.<ref name="wp"/>
* '''Matrix''' (2008–2015): an unpressurized version.<ref name="wp"/>
* '''M600''' (2016): a longer-range turboprop, and the '''M700 Fury''', announced in February 2024.<ref name="wp"/>

== Registered in the United States ==
The FAA register lists '''1,598''' of these airplanes with a valid U.S. registration. Here they are by the model name the FAA uses.<ref name="faa"/>
<div class="aw-wide">
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! FAA model name !! Registered
|-
| PA 46-350P || 653
|-
| PA46-500TP || 368
|-
| PA-46-310P || 213
|-
| PA-46-600TP || 185
|-
| PA46R-350T || 101
|-
| PA-46-701TP || 77
|-
| PA46-350T || 1
|}
</div>

{{Owner notes}}

== Photos ==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="170">
File:Piper PA.46R-350T Matrix Deurne (cropped).JPG|Piper PA.46R-350T Matrix OO-JDB (c/n 4692123) at Antwerp International Airport. Photo: Ad Meskens, CC BY-SA 3.0
File:N5EQ 4636051-1996 Piper Malibu Meridian PA 46-350P (4440180942).jpg|Piper PA-46 Malibu and M-Series. Photo: Tomás Del Coro from Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
File:Static display, EBACE 2018, Le Grand-Saconnex (BL7C0569).jpg|Piper PA-46 Malibu and M-Series. Photo: Matti Blume, CC BY-SA 4.0
File:Piper PA-46 M350 (VH-NCA) at Wagga Wagga Airport.jpg|Piper PA-46 M350 (VH-NCA) at Wagga Wagga Airport. Photo: Bidgee, CC BY-SA 3.0 au
File:EBACE 2023, Le Grand-Saconnex (EB237663).jpg|Cockpit of a Piper M600/SLS at EBACE 2023 at Palexpo, Le Grand-Saconnex. Photo: Matti Blume, CC BY-SA 4.0
File:Piper Meridian M500 LV-KIR en el Aeropuerto Internacional de Posadas (01).jpg|Piper Meridian M500 LV-KIR en el Aeropuerto Internacional de Posadas. Photo: Horacio Cambeiro, CC BY 3.0
File:Piper PA-46 N701FY FDK MD1.jpg|2024 Piper PA-46 M700 Fury N701FY at Frederick Municipal, Airport, Maryland, USA. Photo: Acroterion, CC BY-SA 4.0
</gallery>
All photos are from [[commons:Main Page|Wikimedia Commons]]; click a photo for its full credit and license.

== Buying a Piper PA-46 Malibu and M-Series ==
{{For sale soon}}

== Sources ==
<references>
<ref name="wp">Wikipedia, "[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piper_PA-46 Piper PA-46]", read November 1, 2026. Airplane Wiki's text is written in its own words; facts are checked against this article and its sources.</ref>
<ref name="faa">Federal Aviation Administration, [https://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/aircraft_certification/aircraft_registry/releasable_aircraft_download Releasable Aircraft Database], file dated October 30, 2026. Valid registrations of fixed-wing airplanes whose FAA maker and model names belong to this family. Airplane Wiki uses only counts from this file, never owner names or addresses.</ref>
</references>