Gavin Kim of Denver, Colorado, has owned a 2008 Piper Meridian since November 2021. With little but complimentary things to say so far about owning the 850 horsepower turboprop, he provided an overview of what he feels is one of its most defining attributes.
“I think the Meridian fits a very unique sweet spot and niche. The way you fly the aircraft at 10,000 feet, it still flies like a piston in the sense that the indicated airspeed at lower altitudes is fairly consistent with a high-power piston. The shown indicated airspeed will be around 170 knots, for example. But the interesting thing is that the higher you go, it still will maintain that same indicated airspeed.”
He continued, “The reason I find that so compelling is the higher you go, all that incremental power you get from the turbine compensates for altitude. The aircraft may indicate 150 knots, but at 27,000 or 28,000 feet, you’re flying at 300 miles an hour true airspeed. It’s a very benign aircraft in that regard. You’re so much more efficient high up. And keep in mind the fuel flow, which is not crazy, considering how fast you are moving along.”
This speed has been important for Kim, who lives a fast-paced life on the ground and in the air. In his free time, he enjoys skiing, fly fishing and restoring classic cars – in addition to his longstanding career in the technology industry. He is the Chief Strategy Officer for DigitalReef, a software company focused on building advertising and consumer audience technology for mobile devices and connected television. Previously Kim served in varying senior leadership-level positions at Microsoft, Samsung and Imagination Unwired (which he founded).
While one wouldn’t guess it during a conversation with Kim, he didn’t grow up in a household of pilots. Even though aviation surrounded him growing up, an interest in flying wasn’t fostered until his thirties.
“I attribute my interest in flying, which is somewhat of a latent interest, to growing up in Alaska. I was born in California, and then we moved up to Anchorage when I was three years old. Growing up there, it seemed like every other person in the neighborhood was a general aviation pilot. But I never thought it would be something in the realm of possibilities an average person could do. I had thought these people were somehow gifted with this incredible opportunity and learned to fly through a privilege or something not available to the average individual like me.”
But with time, Kim learned that flying could be enjoyed by all who pursue it. “It was fairly recently, back in 2012, that I started flight training,” he recalled. “I was working at a company in Dallas and one of the guys who worked for me called me out of the blue and said we should learn to fly airplanes. The whole concept was foreign but harkened back to a time growing up. I remembered that flying always seemed interesting to me.”
The tech entrepreneur’s realization 10 years ago was quickly followed by a discovery flight followed by a fervent effort to fly as much as possible. “I am one of those people that once I get convicted in an idea, I go full on, full board, and full into it. That’s what happened. I just started training and earned my private some 60 odd hours later.”
After gaining a baseline knowledge for flying, Kim immediately began working on his instrument rating. Around this time, he purchased an experimental Glasair Super II. “That’s the aircraft I flew for around 600 hours and got my experience in. I flew it everywhere. It took me to all corners of the United States and through several ratings,” Kim explained.
“A couple years ago, I got a bug to continue additional training and went for my commercial rating. After that I decided to pursue my multi-engine rating, which was only a few months ago. Most of this training I did in my Glasair, which I kept through it all, only just recently selling it. That aircraft actually happened to be featured at AirVenture this year as part of the homebuilt exhibition flown by its new owner. The Glasair was a fantastic cross-country aircraft for an individual as it’s a fairly capable aircraft. It goes far, fast, and is pretty efficient. But it certainly was not large enough to carry my family with me.”
After identifying the desire to bring his family along on his aerial travels a few years ago, Kim didn’t have to wait long to find a bird with more seats.
“I had the opportunity to purchase a Cirrus SR22T G5. It was a great aircraft and platform to advance from. After flying that for a few hundred hours, I started getting a hankering for something with a little more capability and payload, plus pressurization and other qualities,” Kim said.
He said when he purchased the aircraft he now owns, it was an interesting time in the marketplace because Avidyne-equipped Meridians were extremely favorably priced. Now he says that gap has closed some with the recent uptick in used aircraft prices. Since acquiring the aircraft, Kim has had the aircraft painted and the interior redone. A Garmin avionics suite is on the list of next upgrades, expected to be completed before the end of the year.
Outside of speed and efficiency, pressurization and cruising in the flight levels have been game-changing. “It’s been a fantastic aircraft for work but also as a recreational and family plane. Pressurization provides all day comfort and also removes the need to carry oxygen. Dealing with oxygen, especially for passengers in the back in the Cirrus, was beyond annoying. And being predictably above weather on long distance flights has been incredibly comforting, making flight planning simple. Lastly, the airframe icing equipment on board and inflatable boots are really spectacular. Unlike the Cirrus, the Meridian airframe inflatable boots are quick to deploy, are always available without needing TKS, and don’t leak fluid when on the ground.”
Kim has a selection of places where he typically flies the Meridian. Those on the shortlist include Dallas and Miami, where he has offices, as well as California and Montana with his family. He noted that these trips are perfect distances for the PA46-500TP to really show its unique combination of speed, range and operating costs.
When flying to the west coast, Kim will usually be joined by his wife and daughter, noting that they can sometimes make it to Seattle, a 900 nautical mile flight, without a fuel stop at max cruise speed. They will almost always make it back to Denver without one at the same power setting. The occasional fuel stops leave something to be desired, although Kim is still grateful for his aircraft’s capabilities.
“If there is one criticism I have about the Meridian is that I would love to have longer legs on it. I would love for it to be a 1,000 nautical mile aircraft instead of an 800 nautical mile aircraft.” Naturally, increased range capabilities would come at a cost. Kim believes that in his instance, stepping into a larger aircraft would not have the same effect moving into the Meridian had.
Elaborating on the anticipated diminishing return of a larger aircraft, he explained, “And then when you decide that you need to step up, what’s the next step of aircraft above this? Lots of people point to TBMs or maybe a light jet like a Citation Mustang. When you step up, your fuel burn goes up a lot more and your speed maybe only goes up 10 or 20 percent, but your maintenance costs are quite a bit of a step. It is so much more of an increase in your fixed costs, as well as your hourly costs. For my purposes, the Meridian really fits this perfect little spot for me.” While he will never say never, for now, it is the perfect aircraft for his needs.
You can follow Gavin Kim’s Meridian experience on Instagram @flymeridian.