Daher’s TBM Joins The “Millennium” Club

It's quite the milestone... The 1,000th TBM has rolled out from Daher’s Tarbes, France final assembly line, in this case a TBM 940 version, destined for an owner/operator in the United States.

“The Daher group and its employees take particular pride in reaching the TBM’s 1,000 mark,” stated Didier Kayat, the CEO of Daher. “We have made significant investment since integrating the TBM into Daher’s business portfolio, and now it is a major asset for our overall industrial activity.”

Nicolas Chabbert, the Senior Vice President of Daher’s Aircraft Division, added: “Looking ahead to the next 1,000 TBMs, we maintain our firm commitment to continue delivering aircraft that provide the optimum combination of speed and operational efficiency for owners and operators, along with the highest levels of safety and protection for pilots, families and passengers.”

Chabbert noted that the number of TBMs produced since Daher’s acquisition of this aircraft product line 10 years ago has surpassed the total built throughout the program’s previous history.

When the TBM originally was launched in the 1980s, there was some aviation sector skepticism about the market attractiveness of a pressurized single-engine turboprop airplane, with certain doubts whether the initial sales goal of 600 would be attained, he added.

The TBM 900-series aircraft currently in production by Daher represent the sixth primary step for the family, and are offered in two production versions: the TBM 940, incorporating Garmin’s G3000 avionics with the new HomeSafe emergency autoland function, autothrottle and touch screen controls; and the TBM 910, with Garmin next-generation G1000 NXi avionics technology.

Daher’s official handover of the 1,000th TBM will be made this week at the company’s Pompano Beach, Florida operation, with the aircraft received by a U.S.-based owner/operator: James A. Hislop. An experienced private pilot and investment banker, Hislop is the co-founder and managing director of two private equity investment firms. He also is involved in charitable activities, serving as a volunteer pilot with Mercy Flights Southeast, Angel Flights Northeast and Patient Airlift Services.

“I looked at just about every airplane on the market that would fit my criteria in terms of safety, reliability, style and performance,” Hislop explained. “The TBM 940 topped the list in the areas of speed, range and payload, while also incorporating all of the safety features. It is built more to a commercial grade compared to general aviation standards; the cabin comfort is excellent; and the ‘ramp appeal’ is simply stunning.”

FMI: www.daher.com, www.kodiak.aero, www.tbm.aero