20/Twenty: TBM 700, A Turboprop Pioneer

Derived from a Mooney Aircraft design and developed with French manufacturer Socata, the TBM 700 entered service in 1990 as the first pressurized turbine single and the fastest type in its category, attributes that have preserved its value to this day.

“The TBM 700 burst onto the scene in 1990 while GA was emerging from a 1980s slumber,” wrote Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association contributor Peter A. Bedell. “Back then, the only nonmilitary single-engine turboprop was the utilitarian Cessna Caravan with its fixed gear, struts, and all the sex appeal of a box hauler. The much smaller TBM, originally a Mooney design, promised six seats, high speed, and pressurization all wrapped in an attractive package.”

TBM International, the pairing initially of Mooney Aircraft and Socata, built the TBM 700 from 1990 to 2005, though Mooney withdrew from the partnership in 1991. (The brand name TBM—a reference to Socata’s headquarters in Tarbes, France, and Mooney—remained.) Over the course of its production, there were 323 TBM 700s built: 121 TBM 700As, 99 TBM 700Bs and 103 TBM 700C2s.

EADS Socata launched the successor TBM 850 in 2005 and began deliveries the following year. French industrial group Daher acquired a controlling share of Socata in late 2008.

Three Iterations

Powered by a 700-shp Pratt & Whitney PT6A-64 turboprop engine, with Bendix/King avionics, the TBM 700A seats up to seven people and operates to a max range of 1,378 nm and max cruise speed of 300 kts. Its max takeoff weight is 6,579 lb., with a useful load of about 2,200 lb. Take off distance needed to clear a 50-ft. obstacle is 2,133 ft.

Socata introduced the TBM 700B in 1999, featuring a larger rear door, an optional forward pilot door and factory air conditioning.

The TBM 700C2 from 2003-05 came with a reinforced structure, new air conditioning system and increased MTOW to 7,394 lb.

In 2009, Daher-Socata announced the availability of a Garmin G1000 cockpit upgrade of TBM 700s. The first delivery went to the French Ministry of Defense under a contract to upgrade 27 TBM 700s then in service with the French military.

The G1000 installation features a 15-in. multifunction display and two 10.4-in. primary flight displays. It includes Garmin’s GFC 700 digital three-axis, automatic flight control system.

Pilots favor the TBM 700’s speed, range, and moderate fuel burn compared to jets, Daher says. Other attributes are its hot-and-high performance at takeoff, ease of maintenance and high residual value.

“At the time of its introduction, the TBM 700 nearly doubled the speed of a typical complex piston single and coddled its occupants with pressurization and altitude flexibility, all at a manageable 55 gal. per hour of fuel burn,” Bedell wrote. “In the pattern, it flew just like a complex piston single in terms of approach and landing speeds, making the turbine step-up process easy for pilots who could afford the steep entrance fee.”

TBM 700 Cabin

A TBM 700C2 cabin measures 4.4 ft. high, 4.1 ft. wide and 15 ft. long with 11 ft. in length for passengers. The typical cabin features four-seat club seating with a central table that folds out from the side wall. An oversized cargo/entry door is located on the port side of the airplane, aft of the wing.

Passengers appreciate the wider airport accessibility of the TBM 700, which can operate to runways not serviceable by light jets, Daher says. Other pluses are comfortable seating, large windows and access to the luggage compartment in flight.

As of mid-September, there were 11 TBM 700s for sale, at prices ranging from $1.19 million for a 1996 model year TBM 700A to $1.89 for a 2003 TBM 700C2.

Other types that compete for sales with the TBM 700 are the Piper Meridian and M500 single-engine turboprops, the Beechcraft King Air 90 twin turboprop, and the Cessna Citation Mustang light twinjet.

TBM 700 owners should expect direct operating costs of about $587 per hour, including $300 for fuel (50 gal. at $6.00 per gal.); maintenance, $101/hr.; parts $120/hr.; and periodic inspection, $66, according to Daher.

TBM 700 maintenance is based on an annual or a 200-hr. inspection, with an engine hot-section inspection at 1,750 hr.

BCA welcomes comment and insight from aircraft dealers and brokers for its monthly 20/Twenty pre-owned aircraft market feature. The focus aircraft for October is the Embraer Legacy 500 and for November, the Cessna Citation Latitude. To participate, contact [email protected].