A Hence started deliveries of the TBM 960 in the United States this past week, one of the largest general aviation markets in the world.
The start of deliveries followed the certification of the TBM 960 by the US Federal Aviation istration (FAA) airworthiness authority, ing the approval of the previous certification by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
“I want to recognize the collaborative work by EASA and the FAA that resulted in the certification of the TBM 960. I also want to express my appreciation to our US customers for their patience during the certification process. We have had an exceptional overall response to the TBM 960 since its launch, with over 60 orders ed worldwide for this latest version.”, said Nicolas Chabbert, senior vice president of Daher's aircraft division.
Chabbert added that the TBM 960's long-haul delivery flights from Europe to the US were an excellent opportunity to highlight the improved accuracy of the aircraft's digital systems, with benefits in of safety, efficiency, reliability and comfort.
The first two TBM 960s for US customers departed June 25 from Daher Aircraft Division headquarters in Tarbes, on their delivery flights, arriving at separate TBM authorized distributors in the Midwest and West Coast of the US for deliveries to their owners.
One of the aircraft landed at Elliott Jets in Minneapolis, Minnesota, while the other was received at Camarillo Airport, California, by AVEX.
Daher also disclosed that it has a significant number of TBM960 aircraft on order, which guarantees production until the 3rd quarter of 2023. About 60 aircraft of this model will be delivered this year, said Nicolas Chabbert, senior vice president of the Aircraft Division at Daher. Daher.
TBM960 Updates
In addition, the new version of the Daher single-engine turboprop received a new interior with LED lighting, electrically adjustable windows and electronic cabin control. This TBM 960 was unveiled during Sun 'n Fun 2022 in Florida.
Even maintaining the high flight speed in cruise, the TBM 960 with updated engine consumes 57 US gallons of kerosene per hour. This value is 10% more economical compared to the previous version.
At the heart of this latest version of the TBM is the engine PT6E-66XT and Hartzell Propeller's five-blade Raptor composite propeller, both linked to the two-channel digital engine and electronic propeller control system (EPECS).
Other benefits include increased engine takeoff and climb power (+45 SHP of mechanical power) and increased thermodynamic power (up to 4% under International Standard Atmosphere conditions).
The cockpit continues to rely on the Garmin G3000 avionics system, which, together with the electronic management of the engine and propeller, contributes to reducing the pilots' workload. In addition, it is possible to find some useful safety systems, such as a Garmin GWX 8000 Doppler weather radar and protections to assist the pilot in case of emergency and against an aircraft stall.
With the launch of the new aircraft, Daher's TBM family is now offered in two versions: TBM 960 and TBM 910.
Longer time between revisions
The improved design features and digital capabilities of the PT6E-66XT engine increase the aircraft's availability. Scheduled maintenance intervals have been increased, including the time between overhauls from 3500 to 5000 hours. The electronic control system removes engine hardware, resulting in a combined 40% reduction in scheduled maintenance.
