The series of aircraft produced today by Daher, TBM, is a milestone in business aviation, recognized for its combination of speed, efficiency and reliability.
The project was developed by the French company SOCATA in partnership with the American company Mooney in the 1980s, based on the model known as the Mooney 301, which was never certified. It was the American manufacturer's only attempt to enter the pressurized cabin aircraft market, to compete with market players such as Cessna, which had been producing the pressurized C210 for several years, and Beech and Piper, both of which had announced plans for a six-seat aircraft with a pressurized cabin. However, its repeated financial crisis caused it to abandon the project.
In 1985, French investors Alec Couvelaire and Armand Rivard acquired the Texas-based company. After the acquisition, they concluded that the Mooney 301 was too heavy and slow to compete with existing products on the market. It was then that, within a t venture created with the French company Socata, they designed another aircraft based on the single-engine aircraft they had invented.
Exactly one year later, the first prototype was produced and designated as TBM 700. But what does the acronym TBM stand for? It actually became an acronym in allusion to the city where Socata is based (one side of the t venture) and a tribute to the company that kicked off the project that was finally produced – and the other side of the t venture that had been created: TB is the acronym for Tarbes, that city in , and M for Mooney, of course.
However, presenting superior cruise performance, even compared to many twin-engine turboprops on the market at that time (such as the King Air C90A), the TBM 700 became the first high-performance single-engine turboprop.
Ultimately, the plans were for the aircraft to be produced both in , through Daher-Socata, and in Kerrville, TX, located in the USA. However, in the same year the aircraft was certified, in 1990, a new financial crisis hit Mooney, which took the TBM700 out of production on the American side.
Produced in , the TBM 700 has become the success it is today and has evolved over the years to meet market demands, resulting in several sub-variants:
• TBM 700A: Initial production version equipped with a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-64 engine and avionics suite entirely supplied by Bendix King.
• TBM 700B: This version introduced a wider entry door and an additional door for the pilot, as an option. The maximum zero fuel weight was also increased and other improvements were implemented for greater comfort and capacity. It was introduced in 1999;
• TBM 700C1: This aircraft features a reinforced structure, new air conditioning system and other improvements for greater versatility, such as a cargo compartment near the tail. It was introduced in 2003.
• TBM 700C2: Based on the C1, it had the addition of the Garmin 530 GNSS, in addition to having the maximum takeoff weight increased, allowing greater payload capacity and operational flexibility. The “C” version continued its production until 2006, when it was replaced by the next version, the TBM 850.
Evolutions in the TBM 7 series were not limited to the TBM 700 sub-variants. Subsequent models, such as the TBM 850, introduced in 2006, incorporated more powerful engines, such as the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-66D, offering higher cruise speed and improved performance.
The recurring battery overheating issue of the TBM700 has also been fixed in the later version.
The TBM 900, launched in 2014, brought significant aerodynamic refinements, including winglets and a redesigned induction system, resulting in superior cruise speeds and improved fuel efficiency.
The lever frame was also redesigned from the 900 onwards, which made it possible to introduce a fantastic innovation to the market.
As is natural for every pilot, it is common to see a lever for power control – linked to the direct control of the FCU – a lever for propeller rotation control – which controls the primary propeller governor – and a fuel condition lever – which allows the engine to be started and the minimum power setting at “idle” (low idle and high idle). Therefore, three levers (in addition to the emergency lever).
On the TBM900, the three old throttles were replaced by… ONE! Exactly what you read, only one throttle is responsible for activating the engine, controlling “low idle” and “high idle”, propeller flagging, power, reverse, beta, etc…
Ultimately, the innovations have cemented the TBM's position in business aviation, offering a unique combination of light jet performance with the efficiency and economy of a single-engine turboprop.
According to the site Aircraft Cost Calculator, the cruising performance of a TBM 850 can come close to a Citation CJ1 and the Phenom 100, but at a lower total cost per year, as follows:
| AIRCRAFT | TOTAL HOURS PER YEAR | OPERATING COST/YEAR |
| TBM 850 | 120h (37.920nm flight/year) | US $ 193.566,00 |
| Quote CJ1 | 100h (37.920nm flight/year) | US $ 228.914,00 |
| Phenom 100E | 103h (37.920nm flight/year) | US $ 246.001,00 |
* Data obtained from the aircraft cost calculator website.
Given its success, the TBM7 has become a popular choice among operators seeking speed, economy and reliability. In fact, according to Daher, 1.187 aircraft of the series have been delivered by December 31, 2023 worldwide.
Deliveries by model are:
- TBM 700: 324 units, produced between 1990 and 2005;
- TBM 850: 338 units, produced between 2006 and 2013;
- TBM 900/910/930/960: 488 units, in current production.
In summary, the TBM 700 and its subsequent evolutions have played a crucial role in business aviation, setting new standards of performance and efficiency in the single-engine turboprop segment.
If you are looking to buy a TBM or would like to have an aircraft but are still not sure which one to choose, us by email at [email protected] and count on a team of motivated professionals to assist you with whatever you need most.
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