Introduces A Tailored Support Package For Part 135 Operators

Responding to the increasing use of Daher’s TBM very fast aircraft family in passenger charter operations worldwide, an adapted package of support services is now being offered by the aircraft manufacturer specifically for these users.

“As TBM charter flights continue to develop around the globe, we want our services to best match the expectations of commercial operators,” explained Nicolas Chabbert, Senior Vice President of Daher’s Airplane Business Unit, during a press conference at the 2015 National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Convention & Exhibition in Las Vegas.

Chabbert said TBMs are increasingly deployed in charters for on-demand transportation from community airports, with charter operators benefitting from the aircraft family’s speed, economical operating costs and ability to serve smaller airports. In parallel, the use of single-engine turboprop aircraft for commercial flights is increasingly accepted by airworthiness authorities and the marketplace.

Called the TBM Charter Pack, this coverage provides an inclusive package solution with:

• An extended version of Daher’s TBM Care Program (TCP) to cover commercial operators’ higher aircraft utilization rates;
• Continuing airworthiness monitoring through CAMP systems;
• A dedicated TBM maintenance hotline; and
• TBM professional training courses

An example of this emerging business sector was introduced at Daher’s NBAA press conference with the presence of Eric Walden, the CEO and pilot of Little Hawk Logistics – a new U.S. TBM charter operator based at central Virginia’s Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport (KCHO).

Walden, an airline and corporate pilot with 11 years of experience at Netjets, created Little Hawk Logistics this spring after purchasing a 2007 TBM 850. Little Hawk Logistics operates under the Meridian Air Group’s Part 135 Air Operator’s Certificate, benefitting from this Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport-based company’s charter scheduling, operational support, and maintenance structure. In return Little Hawk Logistics’ TBM 850 complements Meridian Air Group’s fleet of single turboprop and light jets.

Little Hawk Logistics initiated TBM commercial operations in June of this year, and already has transported 200 passengers – flying some 56,000 nautical miles.

“After nearly two decades as an airline and corporate pilot, I resigned my position to create my own business,” Walden said. “Having found the TBM 850 as a perfect aircraft to fit the mission, I embarked on the next and most exciting stage of my career by founding Little Hawk Logistics.” He described the TBM as a “spectacular” example of aviation engineering, bringing the power and efficiency of Pratt & Whitney Canada’s PT-6 turboprop engine to a streamlined and efficient airframe. “The resulting TBM performance is amazing in all phases of flight, and translates into charter costs that are well below any other solution – at greater speed and comfort,” he added.

Another example of TBM charter operations is Wagga Air Center, Australia’s initial air charter company to utilize the TBM 850. This TBM 850 is owned by Dr. Paul Mara, a rural generalist doctor, health consultant and company director from Gundagai, New South Wales. By leasing his airplane to Wagga Air Centre, he enabled the TBM 850 to enter commercial charter activity so that other businesses can benefit from the aircraft’s speed, efficiency and performance.

In Europe, France’s Voldirect was the first to operate a TBM in the framework of the country’s regulations enabling the use of TBM aircraft for public transport passengers in instrument flight conditions. Following on Voldirect’s experience, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is nearing a final go-ahead to allow this type of operation across Europe.

Also in France, a new TBM 900 recently was delivered by Daher to Altijet, which seeks to offer private transportation services for local companies – and also has filed an Air Operator's Certificate application to provide flight services that meet customer demand for the Alsace region.

(Image provided with Daher news release)

FMI: www.littlehawklogistics.com, www.tbm.aero