The 2012 Model Year Version Of Daher-Socata’s Very Fast Turboprop Aircraft Is Introduced To European Customers

Daher-Socata displayed the new TBM 850 Elite version of its very fast turboprop aircraft at the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE), held May 14-16 at Geneva International Airport’s Palexpo exhibit center.

“As the largest business aviation event in Europe, EBACE is the perfect venue to highlight Daher-Socata’s product innovation strategy,” explained Stéphane Mayer, the President & CEO of Daher-Socata. “Its location in Geneva offers us many networking opportunities as a manufacturer and service supplier, as well as the occasion to meet potential partners and customers from Europe, Africa and the Middle East.” Mayer added that Daher-Socata also will have a special focus this year on the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), where the TBM 850 recently was certified – opening a market with many new business opportunities for the aircraft.

The Model Year 2012 TBM 850 Elite was unveiled in March, and made its European debut at AERO Friedrichshafen in April. Among the aircraft’s key attributes is its unique capability to tailor the passenger cabin to meet operators’ needs. The middle seats can be oriented in forward-facing position while the rear seats are removable. In about 30 minutes, the TBM 850 can be reconfigured in a four-seat cabin, increasing the luggage volume capacity by three and doubling the maximum luggage weight.

Other features incorporated by Daher-Socata in the TBM 850 Elite are new carbon fiber edging (used in the central upper panel, table cover exterior insert and cabinet door cover), along with gold and brush metal treatment on interior fittings.

Two new avionics options also are offered on the aircraft: a long-range KHF 1050 HF radio, and Garmin’s full-featured GSR 56 Iridium satellite transceiver – a particularly attractive option outside North America, as Iridium offers a worldwide coverage. This gives access to quality on-demand weather information, text/voice communications and near real-time positioning. Moreover, Daher-Socata has extended its Exclusive Maintenance Program to cover scheduled maintenance costs for the original retail customer through the aircraft’s fifth annual inspection, or up to 1,000 total flight hours – whichever comes first.

“Since the Elite version’s official introduction, we have received a large number of inquiries from potential customers for this new version of our TBM 850 very fast turboprop, and we already have 20 aircraft in our backlog,” said Nicolas Chabbert, Senior Vice President of the Daher-Socata Airplane Division. “This is a clear confirmation of our ability to meet customers’ expectations with new features that complement the TBM 850’s unique cost/performance ratio.”

The TBM 850 is the world’s fastest single-engine turboprop, with a maximum cruise speed of 320 KTAS at 26,000 ft. (in ISA conditions). As an 850-shp. version of Daher-Socata’s proven six-seat TBM 700 turboprop business aircraft, the TBM 850 combines cruise speeds and travel times typical of light jets with the economical direct operating costs of a turboprop, along with excellent range and payload capacity.

Since its 2005 launch, the TBM 850 has become an international success – with more 266 aircraft delivered as of April 30, 2012. The combined TBM 700 and TBM 850 fleet now stands at 590 units worldwide.

FMI: www.daher.com, www.tbm850.com