Daher-Socata’s TBM 700
By Mark Huber - April 1, 2010
This is the story of a great single-engine turboprop built in France that in part was born in Kerrville, Texas. As you might expect from the lineage, it is sleek, fast and rugged.
Work on what became the TBM 700 started in 1973 after Mooney Aircraft Co.–a Texas manufacturer of cramped but fast single-engine piston airplanes–hired aircraft designer Roy LoPresti as vice president of engineering. The company asked LoPresti, whose nickname was “The Speed Merchant,” to come up with another single-engine piston airplane. Dubbed the 301, it was to be pressurized, seat six and have a 266-knot top speed.
Before the 301 could make it to market, however, a consortium of investors from France purchased Mooney and dropped the project. Instead, the consortium formed a joint venture with Socata, then a subsidiary of Aerospatiale, based in Tarbes, France, to develop a 300-knot single-engine turboprop.
The TBM 700–which incorporated some design cues from the canceled 301–first flew in 1988 and was certified in 1990, when Mooney withdrew from the venture. The end product was a six-seat, 295-knot pressurized aircraft that was mostly metal but used some composites on the control surfaces. Mooney lives on in the model as the “M” in TBM. (The “TB” stands for Tarbes.)
Thanks to the low TBM production rate– some 530 units over the last 20 years–the model has enjoyed relatively consistent demand and solid resale values. These airplanes are essentially made to order. Last year, the manufacturer (which became Daher-Socata in 2008) produced 36 of the latest TBM, the Model 850.
The airplanes are flown largely by owner-pilots, who are brand loyal. This point was driven home to me rather forcefully last summer while I was dining with several of them at the annual Experimental Aircraft Association convention in Oshkosh, Wis. As the conversation moved around the table, each owner bested the previous speaker with a tale of his particular TBM’s prowess in terms of range, speed, economy or enjoyment. As they say in Texas, “It ain’t braggin’ if it’s true.” Clearly, TBM owners seem to be a happy lot and there are good reasons for this.
The TBM zips along in the relatively less congested airspace between 20,000 and 30,000 feet, where the odds increase for more direct routing and, conversely, for running into rotten weather. Moreover, it will burn only about half as much fuel as a very light jet or twin turboprop and it climbs like a rocket. Plus, it’s a great short-runway performer. At maximum takeoff weight, the 700B will lift off from sea level in 2,133 feet. “The B is fun to fly,” said John Elford, a well-known TBM instructor pilot who has 11,000 hours in the aircraft. “It flies like a little fighter and is fast and very comfortable.”
To the naked eye, the basic TBM airframe seems unchanged from the original. Over the years, Socata has modestly improved the design, with better environmental controls; vapor-cycle air conditioning; avionics upgrades; a small beverage cabinet; a wider main cabin entry door well-suited for loading outsized cargo; and an optional separate forward pilot’s door. The new 850 has a more powerful engine, which boosts top speed to 320 knots, and glass-panel avionics.
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