TBM 850 return from “Down Under Demo Tour”
- EADS Socata sums up its Very Fast Turboprop successful introduction tour in Asia-Pacific
Friedrichshafen, 20 April 2007
Socata’s TBM 850 demo aircraft is now back in Europe and on display at Aero Air Show in Friedrichshafen, Germany, after a 20,000 Nm trip which started from its home airport of Tarbes on 26 February. The aircraft performed uneventfully for more than 100 hours and this includes numerous flights including the “TBM 850 Down Under Demo Tour” trip with stops in Key cities like Mt. Isa, Cloncurry, Cairns, Brisbane, Southport, Gold Coast, Sydney, Canberra, Albury, Avalon and Melbourne, with a week at the Australian International Airshow at the Avalon Airport.
“ Our “TBM 850 Down Under Tour” received a warm welcome from our customers and prospects” narrated Nicolas Chabbert, EADS Socata’s Vice President Sales & Marketing . “We experienced all types of weather from Tropical Cyclone George and heavy rain in Darwin to drought conditions in the red center. Demonstration flights were performed by Mark Diaz, our director of sales stationed in Gold Coast Coolangata airport, with temperatures as high as ISA+20°C, which is typical in the Northern Territory and Queensland. Flight operations took place from gravel strips and short sealed runways like Mason Field in Southport. In New South Whales, we demonstrated the TBM 850 versatility by sharing airspace with Australia's heavy-metal aircraft and conducting flight operations in and out of Sydney International Airport alongside Qantas Jumbos. In all these situations the TBM 850 was impressive“ he added.
Built on the success of the TBM 700, the TBM 850 VFT (Very Fast Turboprop) offers its pilots and operators what they expected: a maximum cruising speed of 320 KTAS at flight level 260 combining the cruising speed and trip times of a light jet with the economic direct operating costs, range and useful load a of a already well proven world-class single-engine turboprop.
EADS Socata is one of the world’s leading general aviation manufacturers, with more than 17,000 aircraft built since its creation as Morane-Saulnier in 1911. Current products include the TBM family of high-speed turboprops, TB GT piston aircraft, aerostructures for Airbus civil airliners, the A400M military transporter, Dassault Falcon jets, Eurocopter helicopters and Embraer regional jets. EADS Socata is expanding its customer service activities, to support its growing fleet of TBM and offer its light aviation expertise for aircraft below 5.7 tons through avionics modernization, maintenance, repair and overall package offers. Headquartered in Tarbes, France, with North American operations in Pembroke Pines, Florida, EADS Socata is a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS – a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2006, EADS generated revenues of € 39.4 billion and employs a workforce of about 116,800.
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