SOCATA TBM

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TBM 700 / TBM 850 / TBM 900
Socata.tbm700.arp.jpg
A TBM700 of the French Army Light Aviation
Role Executive transport and civil utility
National origin France
Manufacturer DAHER-SOCATA
First flight 14 July 1988
Introduction 1990
Status In production Active service
Primary users French Army
French Air Force
Produced 1988-present
Number built 713 (as of 31 December 2014)[1]
324 TBM 700
338 TBM 850
51 TBM 900
Unit cost
$3.25 Million USD (2013)[2]
$3.46 Million USD (2013 Elite)[2]
$3.711 Million USD (2014 TBM 900)

The SOCATA TBM 700 (also marketed as the TBM 850 and Daher TBM 900) is a high performance single-engine turboprop light business and utility aircraft manufactured by DAHER-SOCATA. An aerodynamically refined version of the 700N is marketed as the TBM 900 from March 2014.[3]

Design and development

A TBM 850 in landing configuration
Cockpit panels of a TBM 850

In the early 1980s, the Mooney Airplane Company of Kerrville, Texas designed a six-seat pressurised light aircraft powered by a single 360 hp (268 kW) piston engine, the Mooney 301, which made its maiden flight on 7 April 1983.[4] Mooney was purchased by French owners in 1985,[5] which resulted in talks between Mooney and the French company SOCATA to build a turboprop derivative of the 301. The result of these discussions was the TBM 700, which was much heavier than the 301 with more than twice the power, with a joint venture, TBM International, being set up in June 1987 between Mooney and Socata's parent company Aérospatiale to design and build the new aircraft.[4][6] In the designation TBM, "TB" stands for Tarbes, the city in France in which Socata is located, the "M" stands for Mooney.[4]

The TBM 700 is a single-engined turboprop, six to seven-seat low-wing monoplane of mainly aluminium and steel construction, but with the tail surfaces built of Nomex honeycomb. It has a retractable tricycle landing gear and is powered by a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-64 engine delivering 700 shp (522 kW).[7][8] The first prototype TBM 700 made its maiden flight on 14 July 1988,[6] with French certification following on 31 January 1990 and US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification achieved on 28 August 1990.[4]

It was planned that two production lines be set up, one at Kerrville to cater to the American market and the other at SOCATA's factory at Tarbes to build aircraft for the rest of the world. A shortage of money resulted in Mooney withdrawing from the project in May 1991.[4] The TBM 700 also comes in a cargo variant.

The TBM 850 is the production name for the TBM 700N, an improved version with the more powerful Pratt & Whitney PT6A-66D engine flat rated at 850 shp (634 kW). The TBM 850 is limited to 700 shp (522 kW) for takeoff and landing, but in cruise flight the engine power can be increased to 850 shp (634 kW). This extra power gives it a higher cruising speed than the TBM 700 models, especially at high altitudes (due to the flat-rating). The outside appearance of the TBM 850 has remained the same as that of the TBM 700. The TBM 850 has a typical range of 1,520 nautical miles (2,820 km).

Beginning with the 2008 model, the TBM 850 is equipped with the Garmin G1000 integrated flight deck as standard equipment.[9]

Introduced in 2014, the TBM 900 is an improved version with 26 modifications including winglets, a redesigned air intake and a 5-blade propeller, for better aerodynamics and performance.[10]

Variants

File:Salon du Bourget 20090619 133.jpg
Rear access door of a TBM 850
Cabin of a TBM 850 in 6-seat configuration
TBM 700A
Initial production version with one Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-64 turboprop engine.
TBM 700B
Variant with wide entrance door, increased maximum zero fuel weight and other improvements.
TBM 700 C1
Improved version with rear unpressurised cargo compartment, reinforced structure, new air conditioning system and other improvements.
TBM 700C2
C1 with increased maximum takeoff weight.
TBM 700N
Variant with increased maximum cruise/climb power, one Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-66D turboprop engine, marketed as the TBM 850 and with modifications as the TBM 850 G1000 and TBM 900.
TBM 850
Marketing name for the TBM 700N.
TBM 850 G1000
Marketing name for the 700N with a G1000 Integrated Flight Deck and a fuel tank extension modification.
TBM 850 Elite
An updated version of the TBM 850, priced at $3.46 million USD. This model includes a 4-place cabin forward-facing seating configuration, allowing for an increased cargo area aft of the cabin.[11]
TBM 900
A TBM 900, presented summer 2014
Marketing name for the TBM 700N improved version with aerodynamic inlet and performance optimization, priced at US$3.711M.[12] Maximum cruise speed is increased to 330 kn at 64 gph. A range of 1,730 nmi (with 45-minute standard IFR reserves) using long-range cruise speed is capable at 250 kn while burning 30 gph or 1,585 nmi at 290 kn while burning 35 gph.[3][13] The (previously optional) five-bladed carbon fiber Hartzell propeller is now standard, increasing performance and decreasing cabin noise.

Production

  • TBM700 - 324 built between 1990-2005
  • TBM850 - 338 built between 2006-2013
  • TBM900 - 51 built since 2014

Operators

The aircraft is used by both private individuals, corporations and charter and hire companies.

Military operators

 France

Accidents and incidents

On 5 September 2014, a TBM 900 (registered N900KN) was found to be flying with an apparently unconscious pilot over South Carolina. The flight originated from Rochester, NY with a flight plan filed to Naples, FL. Two F-15 aircraft were scrambled to trail the flight and saw that the windows were frosted over, leading to speculation that the two occupants (Larry Glazer, a Rochester real estate developer, and his wife Jane, both qualified pilots) had been incapacitated by hypoxia as a result of cabin depressurization. The aircraft reportedly crashed 14 miles northeast of Portland Parish, Jamaica, on the country's northeast coast. [15][16]

Specifications (TBM 900)

Data from [17]

General characteristics

Performance

  • Service ceiling: 9,450 m (31,000 ft)
  • Rate of climb: 12.09 m/s (2,380 ft/min)
  • Time to climb to 8,000 m (26,000 ft): 15 min
  • Time to climb to 9,450 m (31,000 ft): 20 min

See also

Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

References

  1. ↑ DAHER-SOCATA delivers 51 TBM 900s in 2014
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Manufacturer press release, page 3
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Simpson 2006, p. 28.
  5. ↑ Taylor 1988, p. 443.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Taylor 1988, p. 135.
  7. ↑ Simpson 2006, p. 29.
  8. ↑ Jackson 2003, p. 150.
  9. ↑ News Release
  10. ↑ DAHER-SOCATA reveals the TBM 900 very fast turboprop aircraft
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ "TBM 900"
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Hoyle Flight International 13–19 December 2011, p. 39.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ manufacturer specification sheet
  • Hoyle, Craig. "World Air Forces Directory". Flight International, 13–19 December 2011. pp. 26–52.
  • Jackson, Paul. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 2003–2004. Coulsdon, UK: Jane's Information Group, 2003. ISBN 0-7106-2537-5.
  • Simpson, Rob. "TBM 850: EADS Socata challenges the Very Light Jets". Air International, February 2006, Vol 70 No 2, pp. 28–31. ISSN 0306-5634/
  • Taylor, John W. R. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1988–89. Coulsdon, UK: Jane's Defence Data, 1988. ISBN 0-7106-0867-5.

External links

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