Daher escorts Patrouille de France US

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Turboprop Aircraft - DAHER TBM 960, TBM 910

Daher escorts Patrouille de France US
Daher escorts Patrouille de France US
2017 Published on 

Daher escorts Patrouille de France US

Daher’s TBM 930 supports the French Patrouille de France aerobatic team on the start of its historic U.S. tour

Lakeland, Florida, USA, April 4, 2017: The Patrouille de France’s trans-Atlantic crossing for its current U.S. tour was supported by a TBM 930 very fast turboprop aircraft, continuing Daher’s backing of this world-renowned French Air Force jet aerobatic team.

The TBM 930’s mission was to fly ahead of the Patrouille de France’s Alphajets and their accompanying support aircraft, validating meteorological and general conditions at refueling stopover airports in Keflavik (Iceland), Kangerlussak (Greenland) and Goose Bay (Canada).

Daher Chief Test Pilot Stéphane Jacques, a former fighter pilot with the French Air Force, provided real-time information to the Patrouille de France’s leader through the TBM 930’s Garmin GSR 56 satellite voice and data transceiver – which is offered as part of the aircraft’s avionics package.

The Patrouille de France’s U.S. presence marks the team’s first U.S. tour since 1986 and commemorates the 100th anniversary of U.S. entry in World War I.

Involved in the current tour are more than 70 French airmen, pilots, mechanics and support staff, along with the 10 Alphajets, a Falcon 50M business jet from the French Navy, and a French Air Force Airbus A400M Atlas airlifter carrying 25 tons of equipment.

“French and American airmen served side-by-side during World War I, building air superiority that had a decisive role in changing the conflict’s outcome,” explained Nicolas Chabbert, Senior Vice President of the Daher Airplane Business Unit. “To honor the commitment of those warfighters – whose legacy continues with French and U.S. cooperation today – Daher is pleased to have played a part in the Patrouille de France’s centennial demonstration tour.”

The TBM 930 is meeting up again with the Patrouille de France this week in Lakeland, Florida, where Daher is displaying the very fast turboprop aircraft at the U.S. Sun ‘n Fun International Fly-in and Expo – one of the French aerobatic team’s performance venues.

To honor the U.S. entry in World War I (during which the Daher predecessor company Morane-Saulnier played a significant role as a provider of training aircraft), a TBM 930 demonstrator has been decorated with stars and the World War I roundel insignia of the U.S. Air Service, along with the 1917-2017 centennial dates. Daher’s latest collaboration with the Patrouille de France continues a relationship that included the company’s deployment of a TBM 850 for air-to-air filming of the aerobatic team in a 2012 movie celebrating France’s spirit of aviation.

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 G1000NXi 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.

More than 200 orders have been booked for TBM 900-series aircraft – the TBM 900, TBM 910 and TBM 930 – since their launches, with 166 delivered through March 31, 2017. The TBM aircraft family is built by Daher on its industrial site at the Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées Airport in France’s Hautes Pyrénées region.

Overall, a total of 826 TBM aircraft (TBM 700, TBM 850, TBM 900 and TBM 930 versions) have been delivered to international owners and operators, with the global fleet accumulating some 1.4 million flight hours.

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