By Ben Forrest | November 1, 2016 Estimated reading time 3 minutes, 29 seconds.
Daher expects to produce more than 50 of its TBM 900 and TBM 930 aircraft this year, roughly in line with last year’s total.
The company made the announcement at a media briefing Tuesday at the National Business Aviation Association Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) in Orlando, Fla.
Last year the company delivered 55 aircraft, said Nicolas Chabbert, senior vice-president of the Daher airplane business unit.
He predicted the split at roughly 15 TBM 900 aircraft and 35 TBM 930s.
The company positions both models as aircraft with the advantages of the typical cruising speeds of light jets, with the economical operating costs of single-engine turboprops.
Both carry up to six people and have maximum cruising speeds of 330 knots (611 kilometres per hour).
The differences between the two models are concentrated in their primary avionics.
Daher’s 2016 model year TBM 900 uses liquid crystal displays with Garmin’s G1000 avionics system, with a pair of 10-inch screens and a multifunction display sized at 15 inches (38 centimetres), along with a physical keyboard for navigation and communications functions.
The TBM 930 integrates Garmin’s G3000 avionics suite, the first touchscreen-controlled glass flight deck ever designed for light turbine aircraft, according to the company.
Daher also developed an enhanced interior for the TBM 930 with redesigned seating and headrests, along with a choice of wood or carbon finishes.
The TBM 930 was unveiled in April 2016, two years after the TBM 900.
Between the two models, a total of 154 aircraft had been ordered as of Tuesday morning and 143 had been delivered.
Along with its production forecast, Daher noted a series of other milestones at Tuesday’s press briefing, including the opening of its new office in Savannah, Ga.
The office is intended to better serve its original equipment manufacturer (OEM) customers with dedicated skills for Daher’s North American operations.
Daher has also selected Frasca International to supply a TBM 930 flight training device (FTD) to SIMCOM Aviation Training.
The FTD will be the first device to simulate the TBM 930 aircraft and will be installed at SIMCOM’s Lee Vista Training Center in Orlando.
Daher has also reached an agreement to bundle Jeppesen NavData and digital charts with newer Daher TBM aircraft.
The service eliminates the need for pilots to purchase avionics data packages on their own, as selected navigation data will be onboard and ready to use at the point of delivery, said Daher.
The subscription will take effect in 2017 and will be activated at the delivery of new Daher TBM aircraft.
Charter market
Daher is also promoting a charter program aimed at increasing the use of TBM aircraft that fly less than 200 hours a year.
The Fly and Charter TBM (FACT) program offers a series of services, including assessing potential commercial operators, assessing TBM aircraft and facilitating the creation of documents needed for commercial operations.
“This is a cheap aircraft to fly,” said Chabbert.
He pegged the potential cost of tickets on a four-passenger mission at between $100 and $300 per passenger.
