Www.nac.co.za DAHER TBM 940

In southern Africa, Kodiak Aircraft is represented by National Airways Corporation (NAC) based at Lanseria International Airport. Tel: +27 (0)11 267 5000

The latest iteration of the popular TBM series has a top cruise speed of 330 knots and is the first turboprop weighing less than 12,500 pounds to offer a standard, factory-installed integrated autothrottle and automatic de-icing. Both features significantly reduce pilot workload and stress, as does the aircraft’s single-lever power control. As most TBMs are operated single pilot at altitudes up to 31,000 feet, those factors can be significant.

Outside air and engine temperatures, altitude and barometric pressure all impact engine performance. Without autothrottle, the pilot must manually adjust for these changing conditions by adding or retarding fuel flow to maintain a constant airspeed and proper engine temperatures. The adjustments are time-consuming and reduce fuel efficiency. If made incorrectly, they can damage the engine. The Garmin autothrottle allows the 940’s Pratt & Whitney PT6A-66D engine (850 shp) to be operated safely and efficiently. It uses software to analyse many aircraft and atmospheric variables and automatically control engine power to produce a selected and safe airspeed.

The automatic de-icing system displays a message to alert the crew when ice is detected and activates if the pilot does not take appropriate action. The system provides airframe, propeller and windshield de-icing and triggers the inertial particle separator to prevent engine icing.

Daher’s TBM e-copilot technology, available on the earlier TBM 930 and TBM 910 uses guardrails built into the Garmin autopilot to maintain flight within the aircraft’s design envelope, using pitch and bank-angle inputs to protect against excessive bank angles, speed departures and hypoxia incapacitation; when cabin altitude exceeds 11,500 feet, the emergency descent mode automatically activates.

Since Model Year 2020 all TBM 940 are equipped with HomeSafe™, an emergency system that automatically brings the airplane to a runway touchdown if the pilot becomes incapacitated. The system is activated manually by an easily recognizable orange button atop the cockpit instrument panel, or automatically if the Emergency descent monitor or the Level function is engaged after no pilot reaction. Its software integrates weather and terrain information to select the best airport for landing, considering fuel range and runway length. HomeSafe™ is based on Garmin’s Emergency Autoland system, available as a part of the G3000 integrated flight deck and that can be retrofitted to all earlier TBM 940 aircraft.

The 940 incorporates other upgrades including a redesigned exhaust that provides better airflow through the engine, enhancing high-altitude performance. A five-bladed composite propeller improves take-off distance, climb times and cruise speed while keeping outside take-off noise at a quiet 76 decibels, about the same noise an automobile makes at 65 mph as measured 25 feet from a freeway’s edge. The basic performance numbers stay pretty much the same, save for take-off distance, which is reduced 50 feet to 2,380 feet (sea level, standard temperature).

The cabin features a new design and heated seats, additional thermal insulation in the sidewalls, a central shelf with side storage, an additional 115-volt outlet at the right rear seat panel and an extra USB port (bringing the total number of ports to six for passengers and three for the pilots. New-production TBMs have better environmental controls, vapourcycle 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.

Passengers sit in facing club-four seats and there is room for two pilots (although the airplane is certified for single-pilot use and most operators fly it that way). The passenger seat bottoms are 18 inches wide and have 22-inch-high backs. That leaves a really narrow 11-inch-wide aisle. A single club table deploys from the righthand sidewall and there are power outlets for laptops.

In 2016, Daher announced an ‘Elite Privacy’ option for the aircraft that provides an electric flushing lavatory shielded in a pop-up surround with a privacy screen and an illuminated mirror. Also, in 2016, Daher began giving customers their choice of avionics and it badged and priced the models differently to reflect this. The TBM 910 features the Garmin G1000 Nxi glass panel system, while the 940, like the 930 before it, is fitted with the more sophisticated Garmin G3000 package, the next-generation backbone for the avionics on some larger, faster jet aircraft such as the HondaJet and the Cessna Citation M2. You can get all the same options, save the avionics, on the 910 that you can get on the 930, for around $200,000 less. Daher says its customers are split about 50-50 regarding which of the two models they prefer.

For the 2018 TBM 930 and 910, Daher added cockpit enhancements, including a backlit center console, new power and flaps levers and override controls. The pilot’s oxygen mask also received a high-fidelity microphone and standard colour options were expanded.

Sales activity for the 940 has been ‘brisk’, says Daher aircraft division senior vice president Nicolas Chabbert. Through 2019, the manufacturer delivered 48 TBM 900 series aircraft, according to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, including about two dozen of the new 940s. Even some 32 years after the first TBM took to the skies, there are few airplanes out there that deliver 300 plus knots on 50 gallons of fuel per hour. The TBM 940 does this and a lot more, in style.