The TBM 910 single-engine turboprop is a step improvement of the TBM 900 that French aerostructures company Daher launched in 2014, several years after first acquiring a majority stake and later the balance of aircraft manufacturer Socata. Daher gained EASA certification of the -910 in March 2017 and presented it a month later at Aero Friedrichshafen in Germany.
Described as a very fast turboprop with speed comparable to a light jet, the TBM 910 replaced the -900’s Garmin G1000 glass cockpit avionics system with its successor platform, the G1000 NXi, featuring faster processors and a joystick-enabled controller unit. The higher-priced TBM 930, also certified in 2017, came with Garmin’s touchscreen-controlled G3000 avionics suite. Daher introduced the TBM 940 with an automated throttle, automatic deicing and other enhancements, in 2019.
The 850-shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-66D turboprop engine powers both the TBM 910 and the 930/940. The sister aircraft each seat six occupants, including the pilot; and have identical performance numbers: maximum cruise speed of 330 ktas; and max cruise range of 1,730 nm.
The -910 requires 2,380 ft. for takeoff and 2,430 ft. to land in ISA conditions at max takeoff weight (7,394 lb.), with no wind and 50-ft. obstacle clearance. The time to climb to 31,000 ft. is less than 20 min. in ISA sea-level conditions at MTOW with no wind. Its standard useful load including usable fuel is 2,400 lb., with max payload (occupants, cargo and baggage) of 1,403 lb.
Ongoing Model Enhancements
Daher builds pressurized, TBM turboprops in Tarbes, France, and the single-engine, high-wing Kodiak utility aircraft in Sandpoint, Idaho. As of January 2022, the company says it has delivered 1,070 TBM-series aircraft and 300 Kodiaks. The TBM 910 is one of two TBM models currently in production.
In April, Daher unveiled the TBM 960 at the Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo in Lakeland, Florida. The -960 features a P&WC PT6E-66XT engine, Garmin G3000 avionics, Hartzell Raptor five-blade composite propeller and other enhancements.
The 2022 factory-new list price of a TBM 910 is $4.1 million, according to the Aircraft Bluebook. The Aviation Week Fleet Discovery Database counted 69 in-service TBM 910s, with 53 based in North America and 10 in Western Europe.
Pre-owned TBM 910s generally sell in the low-to-mid $3 million range depending on total time, model year and condition, said Mickea Smith, sales director with Melbourne, Florida-based JetAVIVA, a turbine aircraft sales and acquisition company and International Aircraft Dealers Association accredited dealer.
The TBM 910 competes for sales with the Pilatus PC-12 NGX, Piper M600 SLS, Cirrus Vision Jet G2, HondaJet Elite and Cessna Citation M2. There were no pre-owned TBM 910s listed for sale in late May and only six have been sold in the last six months, Smith said.
Cabin Features
The TBM 910 cabin is 3 ft., 11.6 in. wide, 4 ft. high and 13 ft., 3 in. long. Daher offers an “Elite Privacy” option on both the TBM 910 and 930 that involves removing the two aft-most cabin seats to install an electric flushing toilet with sliding privacy panels that converts to a passenger bench seat when not in use.
Pilots appreciate the faster system boot-up of the G1000NXi and software loading that manages more aviation data and maps, Smith said. The -910 comes with improved cockpit connectivity over its predecessor, allowing for wireless transfer of aviation databases to the aircraft from the Garmin Pilot app on a mobile device. The system features Garmin Synthetic Vision Technology, which shows an enhanced, three-dimensional perspective of terrain.
“Like the G3000, the NXi’s screens can be split, so that multiple screenviews’ worth of information can be shown,” the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association reported in 2017. “It also boots up faster and has brighter and more lifelike terrain depictions thanks to better screen resolution. Similarly, the fonts for numbers and text are more discernable than those of a plane G1000, and the engine gauges on the multifunction display (MFD) are larger. The MFD can depict VFR sectional and IFR high- and low-altitude en route charts.”
TBM “e-copilot” functions, including angle-of-attack indicator, ESP/USP (enhanced safety protection/underspeed protection), smart stick shaker and automated icing detection and protection ease pilot workload and ensure “you’re never alone,” Daher says.
Passengers appreciate the TMB 910’s modernized and comfortable cabin, Smith said. Amenities include improved soundproofing, dual-zone temperature controls, heated, reclining seats with deep cushions and folding armrests, individual USB ports, a large folding table in the center of the cabin, individual, fully dimmable reading lights, baggage compartment lights and access stair lighting. Opening the passenger door at night automatically activates the cabin lights.
BCA welcomes comment and insight from aircraft dealers and brokers for its monthly 20/Twenty pre-owned aircraft market feature. The focus aircraft for July 2022 is the Cirrus Vision Jet. To participate, contact [email protected].
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