A Daher TBM 910 owner’s birthday present: formation flight with a World War II-era Spitfire

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Turboprop Aircraft - DAHER TBM 960, TBM 910

A Daher TBM 910 owner’s birthday present: formation flight with a World War II-era Spitfire
A Daher TBM 910 owner’s birthday present: formation flight with a World War II-era Spitfire
2017 Published on 
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A Daher TBM 910 owner’s birthday present: formation flight with a World War II-era Spitfire

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Tarbes, France, December 14, 2017 – Dr. John C. Taylor, OBE, owner of a Daher TBM 910 very fast turboprop aircraft, received a special present for his birthday last month: a formation flight with one of World War II’s most renowned fighter aircraft: the Spitfire Mark 1a.

This unique photo shoot was arranged by David Fabry, the Chief Executive Officer of Flying Smart –Daher’s TBM authorized distributor for U.K. and Ireland, who sold the TBM 910 to Dr. Taylor earlier this year. The legendary Royal Air Force (RAF) warbird belongs to the Imperial War Museum, based at Duxford Airfield in the U.K.

The birthday formation flight underscored Dr. Taylor’s family connection with the Spitfire and the RAF. His father, Eric, spent much of his after-work hours during World War II helping young men learn the basics of airmanship by flying gliders – with the most skilled pilots going on to fly Spitfires. Eric Taylor’s daytime job was developing the Taylor electrically-heated flight suit, gloves and boots for crews of bomber aircraft, particularly those aboard long-distance Lancaster bombers on which the gunners had to survive in their turrets for hours at 25,000 ft in very low temperatures.

Dr. Taylor maintained the family relationship with aviation by soloing in a glider at the age of 16. Having continued to fly for 65 years, he has logged a total of more than 5,000 flight hours and is an instrument-rated pilot.

“I have flown almost 2,000 hours in TBMs,” Dr. Taylor explained. “It is the ideal business aircraft to fly around Europe, with occasional trips to – and around – America. The aircraft’s economy, reliability, speed and range are legendary, but I believe the main advantage is being able to use the smaller airports that are not subject to delays so prevalent for business travelers today in using scheduled flights.”

He is one of the most faithful TBM customers, having owned five different TBMs to date. Dr. Taylor took delivery of his first TBM – a TBM 700A version – in 1991, followed by a TBM 700C2, the TBM 850, a TBM 900, and his current TBM 910.

“We join with David Fabry and Flying Smart in wishing a happy birthday to Dr. Taylor, an accomplished TBM pilot, with this unique flight that also highlighted the exceptional performance of our TBM aircraft,” commented Nicolas Chabbert, Senior Vice President of Daher’s Airplane Business Unit. “For the photo mission, the crews benefitted from the unique characteristics of the Daher TBM 910: it can fly as fast as the famous Spitfire fighter, while also performing maneuvers at low speeds to follow the camera chase aircraft.”

Dr. John C. Taylor, OBE, owner-pilot of a brand new TBM 910, is one of the most faithful TBM customers. He has had 5 TBMs to date, taking delivery of his first TBM 700A in 1991, followed by a TBM 700C2, a TBM 850, a TBM 900 and in May 2017, his current TBM 910. Dr. Taylor is an inventor, a retired CEO of Strix Limited, a graduate of Natural Sciences from Corpus Christi College, Cambridge University, a Doctor of Science and visiting Professor at Durham University, and a Doctor of Engineering at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology. Dr. Taylor is also a renowned inventor with some 440 patents in his own name, mostly known for his design of the 360⁰ cordless base and automatic switch off on boiling for electric kettles. As a philanthropist, he has contributed to science and education by funding the Corpus Christi student library and its famous Corpus Chronophage Clock that he designed. His latest benefaction is the endowment in perpetuity of a Professorship of Innovation in the University of Cambridge.

“It was great to be in the cockpit of a TBM 910 with Dr. Taylor on this special occasion of his birthday celebration formation flight, after having been his copilot on his 27th Atlantic crossing last summer.” stated Flying Smart’s David Fabry. “It was a true privilege to have the Spitfire Mark 1a on our wing for a glorious afternoon.”

About Flying Smart – www.flyingsmart.aero

Based at Biggin Hill Airport, near London, Flying Smart is the authorized Daher TBM distributor for the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Channel Islands and Isle of Man. With in-depth knowledge about the TBM family, Flying Smart guides potential customers every step of the purchase and provide high quality after-sale service.

About the Daher TBM – www.tbm.aero

The TBM 910 and TBM 930 are the latest members in Daher’s TBM family of very fast single-engine turboprop aircraft. Differences between the two models are concentrated on their primary avionics: Garmin’s G1000 NXi avionics system with physical keypad for the TBM 910; Garmin’s G3000 with touchscreen controller for the TBM 930.

Both aircraft offer superior performance – a maximum cruise speed of 330 kts. – and high efficiency with a 1,730-naut. mi. maximum range and a fuel consumption at economy cruise of 37 U.S. gallons per hour. This results from aerodynamic improvements, along with other aircraft enhancements. The maximum range and useful load, as well as the ability to land at small airports, are some of the customers’ favorite features.

To date, a total of 875 TBM aircraft have been delivered to international owners and operators, with the global fleet accumulating some 1.5 million flight hours. TBM 900-series aircraft already have received 256 orders since their launch, with 210 delivered through November 30th, 2017. They are built by Daher on its industrial site at the airport of Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées (Hautes Pyrénées), France.

About Daher – www.daher.com

Daher is an equipment supplier developing integrated industrial systems for aerospace and advanced technologies.

By combining its expertise in industrial manufacturing, product and process engineering, logistics and transport, and industrial services, Daher designs and develops Integrated Industrial Systems. Daher has established itself as a leader in five fields of activity: aircraft manufacturer, aerostructures and systems, integrated logistics, nuclear services, and valves.

Daher posts annual turnover of nearly one billion euros, and its order book stands at around three and a half years of turnover. Driven by bold innovation ever since it was founded in 1863, Daher has established itself today as one of the major players of the third industrial revolution.

Contact for the media – Airplane Business Unit

Philippe de Segovia
E-mail p.de-segovia@daher.com
Tel +33 (0)6 70 21 70 47

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