New Piper Aircraft has selected SimCom International to provide recurrent and transition training for buyers of Saratoga II HP, Saratoga II TC, Seneca V and Malibu Mirage aircraft at the manufacturer's Vero Beach, Fla. factory.

The two companies have also agreed to develop pilot and maintenance training courses for the Malibu Meridian. Purchase of the Meridian includes flight, simulator and systems training in the aircraft. Deliveries are to begin in July 2000.

The arrangement is intended to give customers a "complete technical and operational understanding of their new aircraft," said New Piper sales and marketing VP Larry Bardon. New Piper picked SimCom because of the school's reputation for providing "effective and innovative flight and ground training," he said.

Two new simulators will also go online at the New Piper factory next year. A Malibu Mirage outfitted with a state-of-the-art avionics suite is being built by SimCom and should be operational in early 2000. New Piper, SimCom and vendors supplying equipment to the Meridian are partnering to construct a Meridian simulator which should be ready in late 2000.

Under the terms of the agreement, SimCom will also train maintenance technicians at Authorized New Piper Service Centers.

New Piper says it hopes to expand the training relationship to include on-site flight training throughout North America. For now, however, the arrangement is limited to transition and recurrent training based at Vero Beach.