MDH Holdings Pty Ltd, 6th beef producer of Australia has taken delivery of a Socata TBM 700C2. The high performance single-engined turboprop aircraft will ease management transportation between the 12 farm and cattle stations of the company.
Mt Isa, Australia, 27
January
2006
EADS Socata announces today the arrival in Australia of a brand new Socata TBM 700C2 ferried by its owner Donald Alexander (Zanda) McDonald, pilot and director of MDH Holdings Pty Ltd from Tarbes (France) to Mount Isa (Australia) via Corfu (Greece), Dubaï, Calcutta (India), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and Darwin (Australia). A 38 hours and 8800 Nm long trip and and exhilarating pilot’s experience. Mr. McDonald, experienced pilot rated on both planes and helicopters, took delivery of the brand new TBM 700C2 in the last days of 2005 for his company, MDH Pty Ltd, 6th largest beef producer in Australia, with 12 farms and cattle stations.
“ We selected the TBM for its speed, its ability to climb to flight level at high speed cruise, to fly 1,000 Nm (1,852 km) trips with 6 persons on board in comfort and the possibility to land on 2,619 ft (800 m) gravel runways. Thanks to its qualities we are able to fly direct to anywhere in Australia from our cattle station in central Australia. Then we can watch cattle mastering in the morning and discuss business in Brisbane, Cairns or Sidney in the afternoon.” Explained Zanda McDonald; “ We like also the comfort of the air conditioning system in our hot country and the reliability of its Pratt &Whitney engine, especially when you fly over vast open ranges.” The new TBM 700C2 will also be used to participate in routine checks from the air of the 300 wind mills which provide power to MDH farms.
“We are very proud to have been selected by such a highly respected australian company ” said Stéphane Mayer, Chairman and CEO of EADS Socata. “ We look forward the increasing interest for our TBM aircraft in Asia-Pacific area,” he added. EADS Socata is one of the world’s leading general aviation manufacturers with more than 6,000 aircraft flying in 65 countries, continuing a tradition initiated by Morane- Saulnier in 1911. EADS Socata manufactures the TBM high-speed turboprop and the TB GT range of piston-engined touring and training aircraft, as well as being an industrial partner of Airbus airliners (including the A380), the A400M military transport, the Dassault Falcon 7X as well as Eurocopter helicopters and Embraer regional jets. Based in France, with North American headquarters at Pembroke Pines, Florida, EADS Socata is a wholly-owned subsidiary of EADS, the second largest aerospace and defense company in the world.
