Daher has handed over the 100th TBM 900, just 20 months after the latest iteration of the long-running single-engined turboprop line entered service.
Nicolas Chabbert, senior vice-president for Daher’s airplane business unit, describes as "symbolic" the 7 December handover to a US customer. "The delivery confirms that our TBM 900 not only is the fastest single turboprop, but also the fastest-selling TBM ever – as the programme was officially unveiled in March 2014.”
According to the latest statistics from the US General Aviation Manufacturers' Association, Daher delivered 36 of the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-66D-powered aircraft in the first nine months of the year, of which 11 were shipped in the third quarter.
Daher
The 900 is an upgraded version of its TBM 850, itself a refresh of the first-generation TBM 700.
The $3.8 million TBM 900 was in development for over three years at Daher’s base in Tarbes, southwest France. It incorporates 26 modifications to boost efficiency, performance and comfort. These include winglets, a vertical tailfin strake and a new tail cone, a five-blade composite propeller and redesigned spinner, a revamped electrical system and a restyled cockpit panel for increased clarity.
As of 30 November, the global TBM fleet stood at 760 aircraft, says Daher, and had accumulated over 1.3 million flight hours.
Source: Flight International
