Editing Piper Aircraft (section)

===1960s===
In 1960, the line of Piper aircraft consisted of agricultural and two-passenger variants of the Super Cub, the [[Piper PA-20 Pacer|Caribbean, Colt and Tri-Pacer]], two versions of the [[Piper PA-24 Comanche|PA-24 Comanche]], the Pawnee, the Apache and its new larger derivative the [[Piper PA-23|Aztec]].<ref>[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1959/1959%20-%202987.html ''Flight'', 13 November 1959, p. 552] retrieved 13 August 2012</ref> The following year, the [[Piper PA-28|PA-28 Cherokee]] was the first type to enter production at the new Vero Beach factory.<ref name="Pattillo84">Pattillo (1998), p. 84</ref><ref>[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1960/1960%20-%202998.html "Sport and Business", ''Flight'' magazine, 16 December 1960, p. 954 (online archive version)] retrieved 13 August 2012</ref> The Cherokee replaced the Tri-Pacer and Colt, which ended their production runs in 1961 and 1964 respectively.<ref name="Pattillo84"/> By the later part of the decade, Vero Beach was building 7,000 Cherokees per year.<ref name="Trimble261">Trimble (1982), p. 261</ref>

In 1963, Piper supported [[Betty Miller (pilot)|Betty Miller]]'s successful attempt to be the first female pilot to fly solo across the [[Pacific Ocean]], during which she delivered a twin-engine Piper aircraft from Oakland, California, USA to Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Betty Jean Verret Miller Obituary (1926 - 2018) Deseret News|url=https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/deseretnews/name/betty-miller-obituary?id=1631174|access-date=2021-09-12|website=Legacy.com}}</ref>

In September 1964, Piper flew the prototype of its new [[Piper PA-31 Navajo|PA-31 Navajo]] cabin-class twin for the first time, after two-and-a-half years of development.<ref name="FrawN">"Piper PA-31 Navajo", Frawley (1997), p. 162</ref><ref name="PA31ann">[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1964/1964%20-%203098.html "Piper's New Medium Twin", ''Flight International'' magazine, 24 December 1964, p. 1065 (online archive version)] retrieved 23 August 2012</ref>

In 1969, the Piper family agreed to sell Piper Aircraft to the [[Bangor Punta Corporation]], which started an eight-year court battle with the losing bidder, [[Chris-Craft Industries]], culminating in a [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] decision in 1977.<ref name="BangorP">{{cite web|url = http://supreme.justia.com/us/430/1/case.html |title = Piper V. Chris-Craft Industries, Inc., 430 U. S. 1 (1977)|access-date = 7 April 2010|last = Justia |date=December 1977}}</ref>