It was an incredible invitation. Daher and veteran ferry pilot Margrit Waltz asked me to join her on the flight that would bring serial No. 1400, a 940—from its final position in the hangars at Daher in Tarbes (LFBT) across the Atlantic Ocean to Columbia Aviation, in Groton, Connecticut (KGON).

When an owner in the U.S. purchases a new TBM, normally flight-test profiles are flown under a French temporary registration. Immediately prior to rolling out the door, the designated representative hangs the FAA airworthiness certificate upon the airplane, blessing it with a November registration to help facilitate the transfer of ownership upon arrival in the States.

• READ MORE: We Fly: Daher TBM 960

With the airplane “sealed” following this approval, only required crew can enter it. Any uncertainty I’d felt about the trip ahead melted away as I was recognized as part of that crew—and allowed to board for a briefing on aircraft systems before we launched.

An Appropriate Talisman

Our course took us from southwestern France to Wick (EGPC), in the far north of Scotland, then to Keflavik, Iceland (BIKF)—with any luck—on the first day.

Ferry pilots fly adhering to routines—and often with a lucky charm or two. Waltz’s chosen talisman for the trip turned out to be perfect for me as well: a St. Francis doll knitted for her by a friend in Portugal.

But it’s the airplane itself that proves the most worthy companion. Briefing myself on the 940’s POH, I hit upon section 3.6, Emergency Descents, and noted the maximum range profile. At 120 kias from FL 310, we could glide up to 70 nm before reaching sea level. This was no longer an abstract chart to remember.

• READ MORE: For a Ferry Pilot, Routine Is Good

On departure—as we punched up through the gray woolen layers hanging over Tarbes—it was TBM’s climb performance that impressed me first. To maximize our time at the altitude for optimal speed westbound—FL 280—Margrit put us into a climb at best rate: 124 kias. In a well-coupled airplane, best glide and best rate often intersect—so there’s a symmetry. With an outside air temperature of minus 29 degrees Celsius climbing through 23,000 feet, she kept 98 percent torque up front at 1,650 fpm.

We’d climb on the first leg when in clear air with the inertial separator off. I’d register the sensation when it was on, as it made a soft whomp periodically with the heartbeat of the engine. I’d come to know the PT6’s sounds well, with the luxury of time in getting to know the airplane. Not because we were moving slowly—au contraire—we’d trip along around 315 to 322 ktas at OATs from minus 30 degrees C to minus 50 degrees C at FL 280. But the five legs of the mission spanned 15 hours even at that speed.

A Wicked Crosswind

A ferry pilot must handle the weather they get, not the weather they wish for, as alternates grow slim as the flight path stretches polar above 55 degrees
north latitude.

• READ MORE: A Flight by the Numbers

At Wick’s John O’Groats Airport, we had our first taste of it with a serious crosswind at around the published limit—but the TBM allows the pilot to manage quite a bit. While we enjoyed a cup of tea served up by Adrienne Foster at Far North Aviation, we couldn’t sample a wee dram of the town’s proprietary Scotch—nor take any with us—as supply chain woes had descended upon this remote outpost of the Highlands. But I found photos of friends on the walls, and a charming library dedicated to a local World War II hero.

Cold Weather Ops

Mid-November doesn’t strike most pilots as an optimum time to fly across the North Atlantic. They would be correct. The objective hazards rise: strong westerly winds, the certainty of icing in the clouds, and brutally cold temperatures that await you in the air and on the ramp. And, a serious lack of daylight.

To counteract these negatives, you have the possibility for a window of high pressure similar to the one we enjoyed, if you can stand a little frigid time on icy asphalt in Keflavik and Iqaluit (CYFB)—where the blast of wind felt like iron stakes driving through us as we ran from the airplane to the fueler’s shack for a break. You’ll find the reward of clear skies and not much other traffic competing with you as you clear customs in Iceland, Canada, and the U.S.

The cabin of the TBM stays comfortable, however, even though when I press my fingers to the glass as we cross Greenland, the cold sends a shiver through me. The comfort’s at least in part because of the heated seats, which I grew to appreciate even as their warmth had to reach us through the protective layers we had over them and on us for the ferry flight.

Just One Little Light

On the leg to Wick, we had transitory ITT HI caution lights blocked in yellow on the MFD’s engine information column when the internal turbine temperature clicked above 820 degrees C for a few moments. With an adjustment of power, the CAS messages went away.

That was the only light that drew our attention—until we were on climbout from Iqaluit.

Isn’t that the way it always goes? You’ve ticked off 75 percent of the miles on a long cross-country, you’re comfortable, the “hard” overwater part is over. But the universe often throws up a reminder about who’s really in charge. Transitioning through 5,000 feet, the red master warning light chimed on and the annunciator on the CAS beamed in red: DOOR, indicating that one of the 940’s doors might not be correctly latched.

Waltz leveled off—and since we were not yet to an altitude at which the pressurization differential would be significant, we investigated the state of the main cabin door.

• READ MORE: Waltz Makes 900th Ferry Flight, in a TBM 940

One operating methodology that she has learned over years of flying the TBM series helped her to isolate the issue quickly. Since the DOOR CAS message doesn’t indicate which door is triggering the warning, it’s up to the pilot to determine if the warning pertains to the optional pilot’s side door or the main cabin door.

After we loaded the airplane in Tarbes and took our seats on the flight deck, Waltz closed the pilot door and did not open it again for the remainder of the trip—we used only the main cabin door. That way, if a DOOR message illuminated, she would be nearly 100 percent certain the issue was with the main cabin door.

Following a minor jiggle to the mechanism, the trigger reset for us, and we vigilantly monitored the system as we continued on.

Ferry Pilot’s Lament

A quick stop in Bangor, Maine (KBGR), gave us the opportunity to clear U.S. Customs and ensure the import paperwork for the 940 was in order. As we filled up on vending machine snacks, another ferry pilot moving eastbound sought us out. He clearly needed a listening ear.

• READ MORE: Building It: Daher TBM 960

We already knew our good fortune in bringing a brand-new turboprop across the pond. He represented the more common side of the business, ferrying a deeply used twin Cessna from the Midwest to eastern Europe. He wore the haggards of his position behind the eight ball already, sharing tales of a broken heater, doubt about the aging instruments and radios in the panel, and pressure from the new owners who paid him peanuts to take the risks ahead. They don’t understand the hazards, he said, as he walked through the calculus of “Should I stay or should I go?” to our sympathetic nods. I watched for the N-number on FlightAware for the next few days. He pressed on. I was relieved to see the aircraft make its intended destination.

Railing Across the Cape

We had smooth sailing ahead on the final leg—the shortest of the trip. We raced the sunset as we skirted Boston’s airspace. Little did I know Margrit had a plan for our final approach.

“You haven’t yet seen the TBM’s incredible descent rate,” she said, calling Boston Approach to advise them we would be expediting our trip down when they cleared us out of 16,000 feet. She pitched the nose over, and the vertical speed indicator pegged at somewhere between 3,500 and 4,000 fpm down.
The 940 rode as if on rails, and the Cape stretched out ahead of us in the evening light. Boston saw our descent rate and anticipated our desire not to level off until we reached 4,000 feet msl over the strong arm of Massachusetts.

We laughed together in sheer pleasure—I could hear it later in the video I took from my phone—as she turned the corner towards Groton and landed with a reassuring and satisfying touchdown. A mission completed in a marvelous machine.

This article was first published in the Q3 2022 edition of FLYING Magazine.

The post Ferry Flight: Daher TBM 940 appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Just three years after the Wright brothers’ Flyer took a trip over the sands of the Kill Devil Hills, Alberto Santos-Dumont made his longest public flight stretching more than 700 feet from a field near Paris, France, in 1906. Just five years later, the precursor to Daher—the company that would one day build the TBM 960/910 single-engine turboprops capable of deftly spanning an ocean—was born.

A Tradition of Flexibility

Daher’s roots go back to 1911, when pilot Léon Morane, his brother Robert, and engineer Raymond Saulnier founded its predecessor company, Morane-Saulnier, in northern France. What would become Daher started under the shadows of both the Pyrénées mountains and the darkening skies of German aggression in 1938, at the plant situated between Tarbes and Lourdes. Tarbes was home to roughly 35,000 people around the start of World War II, much like today. The provincial capital of the Bigorre region in the Haute-Pyrénées department, it lies close to the current aerospace hub of Toulouse.

• READ MORE: We Fly: Daher TBM 960

Perhaps Tarbes was not an obvious candidate for an aircraft factory in the late 1930s, but its location—distant from Paris and tucked into a quiet corner of the country—made it an ideal place for the company to survive the war to come. Philippe De Segovia speaks of documents unearthed in the last 10 years pointing to the involvement of Office of Strategic Services (OSS) operatives who helped the company hold up a facade of cooperation—and kept it fabricating aircraft (such as the M.S.406 fighter) through the war. “This is entirely based on the testimonials of those who survived,” de Segovia says, “since very little written record was left.”

On January 7, 1962, Potez purchased the company, designating it SEEMS (Société d’Exploitation des Etablissements Morane-Saulnier). The main company ultimately split off its civilian models, which took the SOCATA marque (Société de Construction d’Avions de Tourisme et Affaires). In 1966, Aérospatiale (formerly Sud Aviation) purchased the company, and then EADS (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company) acquired it in 2000.

Daher Enters, Then the Kodiak

The current era began when EADS sold a controlling interest in EADS SOCATA to Daher, a transaction completed in January 2009 that created Daher-SOCATA. Daher, an industrial conglomerate based in Marseille, France, had accumulated expertise in industrial production through previous acquisitions that dovetailed with its growing experience in the aerospace sector. Daher will mark its 160th anniversary in 2023.

In 2019, Daher announced it would expand its line of single-engine turboprops—the TBM line that had its heritage starting with the Mooney 301—with the acquisition of Quest Aircraft Company’s assets. The target? The Kodiak 100, built in Sandpoint, Idaho. Daher now spans the Atlantic with a footprint in both the U.S. and France. In early 2022, Daher took on another U.S.-based manufacturing facility with the purchase of Triumph Group’s aerostructures and assembly business based in Stuart, Florida. Daher also operates a structures plant in Nogales, Mexico, and a sales and maintenance center in Pompano Beach, Florida.

• READ MORE: Daher Makes a Play to Expand Footprint in North American Market

Entrepreneurial Spirit

The current parent company has turned the previous top-down management style around 180 degrees. CEO Didier Kayat oversees Daher in total, with Nicolas Chabbert serving as managing director of the aircraft business unit overall, as well as CEO of Daher Aircraft and Kodiak Aircraft. It is Daher’s corporate philosophy that each business unit leader embrace an entrepreneurial spirit—and take risks and responsibility accordingly. “[The] entrepreneur style is a part of Daher culture,” de Segovia says. “It was brought when SOCATA was merged in 2009, by Mr. Daher and his team; now, the captain in [this] function is Didier Kayat.”

The esprit de corps (and the drive to secure production line talent) flows throughout the workforce. Processes have evolved significantly over the past 85 years. Though some assemblies must still be welded, such as the joining of the exhaust stack halves—and the fuselage sees rows of rivets like its legacy predecessors—other processes transform entire blocks of aluminum to shining spar sections. Machines use a water process to precisely cut detailed parts, according to the drawing programmed into the unit’s computer. That capability—to turn a wide variety of data into aircraft parts—forms the foundation of the Daher business plan.

Following the Line

The construction of the TBM 910/960 follows an integrated pathway through the plant, picking up in-house parts and those from suppliers along the way. The production line segments begin as a collection of airframe parts, starting with formers for the fuselage and carrying on with those for the nose section and accessories.

The wing spars form the central backbone of an airplane highly resistant to failure. To this end, Daher mills those on the TBMs from solid blocks of aluminum alloy and adds carry-through spars to provide additional torsional strength and rigidity.

• READ MORE: Ferry Flight: Daher TBM 940

Teams form and match the aluminum skins for the wings while others produce ribs and stringers. Meanwhile, technicians align and check the fuselage formers in smaller jigs, then transition them to a vertical jig, optimizing its location for the task at hand. Across the aisle, the nose section comes into a recognizable shape, and both sections take on their skins before coming together.

Then, the fuselage is turned back to a horizontal position for joining. The interior structure goes in to form the instrument panel: the avionics bays, the environmental and pressurization systems elements, as well as the runs for the wiring harnesses. One evolution Daher has made to its production flow is having accessories come in earlier, so that their installation doesn’t consume valuable space, time, and effort later on the line.

Final Assembly

Next? Attaching the engine mount to the pristine titanium firewall. All of the work needed to get ready for the Pratt & Whitney PT6 variants—the PT6A-66D on the 910 and the PT6E-66XT on the 960—including pass-throughs for the power controls and accessories, comes in here. The empennage is metal bonded in the composites department. This process sees the aluminum skins stiffened by aluminum honeycomb, bonded together in an atmospherically controlled room and cured in the autoclave. The wings return on a truck to the Daher plant “green and empty,” painted with sage-colored anti-corrosion material and “empty” of any flight controls. They go to the paint booth for base paint, then return to the assembly line. Technicians attach the flight controls and other key items. Then the fuselage, empennage, cowlings, and fairings go into the paint booth for two coats of gray base paint, before the final scheme is applied.

At the same time, a separate team builds the interior, finishing the seats with the chosen leather. Once the paint is shot, the airplane comes to life with the final mating of the wings and empennage inside the completion hangar. There, technicians hang the PT6 and attach the propeller. Besides the engine, the other difference between the two models lies in the instrument panel, with either the Garmin G1000 or G3000 with touch screens going into the flight deck. After flight testing, it returns to the delivery hangar for its unveiling to a fortunate customer.

This article was first published in the Q3 2022 edition of FLYING Magazine.

The post Building It: Daher TBM 960 appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

I look through the images and I swear I am smiling the entire time.

Scrolling through them on my phone, in my mind I go straight back to flying formation circles over the Atlantic coast of Florida … finding the sweet spot on the yoke for my hand … the Zen-like focus on the photo ship—this time a Cessna 310 piloted by Bruce Moore—and Jim Barrett’s lens poking through the open baggage door.

I remember too, that I’m actually singing to myself, just under the volume where I’d break the squelch and subject Daher training director Wayman Luy to my vocal stylings.

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy … the sun breaks over the low cloud deck, and we catch its rise in the arc of the prop. And now, it’s FAA certified.

Finding the Sweet Spot

Following my first flying acquaintance with the TBM series on a magnificent ferry flight last fall in a TBM 940, I’ve been waiting patiently for my next date.

The payoff? Daher had a surprise in store. How to build on the game-changing 940 with HomeSafe, Garmin’s Autoland suite that secured FLYING’s 2021 Innovation Award? The answer: a new model that moves the series forward.

If you recall, HomeSafe enables the owner-pilot to help sell the airplane to a non-flying spouse—and gives them both a button to push in the event the pilot loses the ability to put the airplane down safely. Not everyone is going to be as cool-headed as that Cessna Caravan passenger who landed in Palm Beach following his pilot’s sudden incapacitation back in May. I heard one colleague say after watching Garmin’s demo video of Autoland, “Where’s the onset of panic?” The button is big and red and in the middle of the panel for this precise reason, though no one says that quiet part out loud.

• READ MORE: Ferry Flight: Daher TBM 940

One non-pilot spouse of a TBM 940 owner I spoke with recently brought it up herself—I didn’t ask. Though she has flown with her husband for many years in pursuit of their own aviation business, and she knows how to land the airplane with confidence, she much prefers having the HomeSafe protocol as an option. It brings her real peace of mind.

After introducing HomeSafe in the 940 just two years ago, Daher has chosen to continue its plan to develop a new model in a regular biennial rhythm. So, what’s new with the 960? It turns out that the airplane takes a solid step in an eco-direction, and in a bit more automation that leads to real benefits for pilots and owner/operators focused on long-term efficiency and extended TBOs.

I sat poised to fly over to Daher’s Aircraft Division headquarters in Tarbes, France, at a moment’s notice, but I had to wait until the 2022 Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo to get my hands on the latest TBM.

As it turned out, this gave me the chance to follow the demo unit, F-HAHF, serial number (SN) 1409—which I’d likely seen on the line in parts during my visit to Tarbes in November 2021—across the pond via FlightAware, then sit in the airplane on Daher’s static display with senior vice president Nicolas Chabbert. He’s an active ferry pilot for the TBM model series he has helped to shepherd and promote since 1992. Pilot to pilot, he debriefed the crossing flight with me, and then walked me through the key updates I would find in the 960 when I flew it.

In my conversation with Chabbert, he referred to the guiding principles of flight deck and control design that he compared to those of Audi. As a longtime Audi driver, I saw the connection. I had the chance to drive the Audi Quattro—not the coupe but the Rally car—about the same time I learned to fly in high school. I first drove a stick in a 4000 Quattro—and loved the A4 1.8T I had years later. The quest for high-end ergonomics and solidity in control feel translates across the designs from car to airplane.

In my introduction to the 960’s updates, Chabbert gestured through the flow for engine start—greatly simplified from those starts in the early 700 series and even in the 940 from my recent acquaintance. He purposefully left the throttle an inch forward to demonstrate the CAS message that illuminates when the system registers a discrepancy or a parameter out of position for the automated sequence to continue.

• READ MORE: Building It: Daher TBM 960

He talked me through Daher’s flight test process, and the thoughtfulness driven into details such as the integration of the Garmin G3000 suite into the panel—such as the 3-degree cant to the display bezels to help position them in an optimized place for pilots with varying vision. It’s a nod to the average age of the TBM pilot group and the progressive lenses we may wear.

The Data Stream

The airframe has proven an elegant match for both the flight deck and the Pratt & Whitney PT6 series that powers it. And that’s where the largest change lies—in the integration between the free-turbine PT6E-66XT and the brains of the airplane. The dual-channel FADEC along with the prop control—which Pratt & Whitney calls the engine and propeller electronic control system (EPECS)—uses segregated control, redundant interfaces, and protection signals, and sends the engine parameters, including fault messages, to the avionics.

• READ MORE: Daher Weaves Sustainability Into Kodiak 900 and TBM 960

The 960 helps the pilot leverage this stream of more than 100 data points through the DCTU—data collection and transmission unit—that records information from the FADEC and the Garmin integrated avionics unit (GIA), storing the data in a non-volatile memory resident onboard. The DCTU safeguards the data, and once the airplane is on the ground at a low power setting, the airplane connects via a cellular network. When the engine shuts down, the data transfers to a ground station for trend monitoring and to stay on top of any maintenance required. The DCTU, automated start, and the EPECS governing the engine within tight parameters—like a 1,925 prop rpm limit at max power settings—leads to the 5,000 hour TBO.

Line Up…No More Waiting

For our first flight, I met on the approach end of Runway 5 at Lakeland Linder International Airport (KLAL) with Luy and Philippe de Segovia, director of TBM product marketing. When it was finally our turn to taxi out, I thought back to those takeoffs I’d monitored on the ferry mission. I lined up, brought the throttle up, and let the AT take it from the midpoint of its throw. After less than 3,000 feet of ground roll in the hot sun and a little back pressure on the yoke, I let the speed climb to 124 kias—right on target.

• READ MORE: Daher Ramps Up TBM Production With 20th Delivery

We climbed to 10,500 feet over central Florida and soon sped out of Lakeland’s saturated airspace. The airspeed came up to about 220 kias—with plenty of green arc still to go on the PFD’s airspeed tape—there’s no yellow arc, only the red bar at 271 knots. Maneuvering speed is a healthy 160 knots, so we slowed below that figure before putting the 960 through steep turns and a stall series. I witnessed no bad habits, just a clean honest break in an unaccelerated stall. The control harmony is clearly one reason TBM pilots become loyal.

We stopped at Airglades Airport (2IS) for a series of three landings and taxi-backs to give me a feel for the 960—with plenty of space on the nearly 6,000-foot-long runway. I found it straightforward to stay on target approach speeds, coming over the fence while bleeding off from 85 knots. It felt facile even on my first try to use less than half of the runway length. We took off for Pompano Beach (KPMP), made an RNAV approach to Runway 13, touched down, and called it a day.

After a few days, fresh and ready to fly our photo mission, the sweet spot I sought on the controls clicked. I used the trim wheel for fine-tuning during station keeping and loved that balance. Later in the day, I had the opportunity to fly again with Luy in an early model TBM 700. While flying through a series of maneuvers, I felt subtle differences in pitch, a bit more in roll, but the same stately sense in control feel overall. With the addition of the 2-foot-tall winglets that started on the 900, the improvements in handling between the early and later models made sense.

Cabin & Cost Updates

The Prestige-branded interior takes advantage of the aircraft’s digital-forward view with an improved environmental control system and electrically dimmable windows. Upgraded ergonomic seats, USB-A and USB-C power ports, and cupholders round out the new amenities for passengers. Overhead spot LED lighting taps to illuminate and dims in three steps with subsequent taps, while strip lighting provides ambience.

Because the 960 is still new, we reviewed Conklin & de Decker for operating cost data on the 940, which will run similarly—after nudging up the acquisition cost from $4.5 million to $4.8 million for the 2022 production run and $5 million for 2023 positions. With an annual cost of just under $500,000 and a fixed cost of just under $200,000, the variable hourly cost on a 940 runs $975 per hour—assuming a fuel cost of $4.63 per gallon for jet-A, which is low considering the current market.

The 960 comes out a little more expensive than its turboprop single competitors in this area, but the latest upgrade in the TBM series draws our affection because of its speed, added safety features, nimble handling—and, yes, its stylish good looks.

Daher TBM 960 Specifications

This article was first published in the Q3 2022 edition of FLYING Magazine.

The post We Fly: Daher TBM 960 appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

• READ MORE: Discover Kiawah Island

All the Gear: Pilatus PC-12 NGX

If you just can’t bear to leave any gear at home—but you still need more speed than a Cessna Caravan would offer—you might choose the Pilatus PC-12 NGX. The PC-12’s Pratt & Whitney PT6E-67XP turboprop powerplant pulls the aircraft’s max gross weight of 10,450 pounds through the air at speeds up to 290 ktas.

With an up to 2,236-pound payload, the PC-12 can either carry a lot of people—up to 10 plus a pilot—or a lot of stuff, or a combination of both. The large cargo door accommodates things like motorbikes, or a 1,000-pound pallet plus 400 more pounds of cargo with a single pilot on board.

The PC-12 can accommodate a takeoff distance of as little as 2,485 feet under certain conditions, and a 2,170-foot landing distance as well. With a 1,803 nm range (with four passengers) or 1,568 nm (with six people), you can strike for Kiawah from pretty far away—and at a maximum altitude of 30,000 feet.

• READ MORE: Flying to Kiawah Island? Try These Airports on for Size

The updated Honeywell-based integrated flight deck has been branded the Advanced Cockpit Environment by Pilatus, and it features four 10.4-inch displays hosting synthetic vision, weather radar, and other pilot-friendly features. With the Innovative Solutions & Support ThrustSense autothrottle integrated into the power quadrant, engine management is streamlined and efficient as well. When you pull up to the flightline to unload your gear at Charleston, folks will stop to watch what you take out of that big door.

Speed & Style: Daher TBM 960

You may feel the need for speed—and the latest in the line of TBMs from Daher can serve that up for you. With a max cruise of 326 ktas at 28,000 feet, burning roughly 64.9 gph—assuming max gross weight at 7,300 pounds and ISA conditions—the TBM 960 keeps its sweet spot intact for single-engine turboprops.

With the newest model, there’s a significant change up front. The Pratt & Whitney PT6E-66XT engine rated at 895 shp has seen an uptick in its thermodynamic power rating to 1,844 hp. You can seek better economy by pulling the airplane back to 308 ktas at 28,000 feet—the 960 burns roughly 57 gph at this reduced power setting. And the range extends out to 1,730 nm at 252 ktas. Minimum takeoff distance is 2,535 feet under standard conditions, with landing distance roughly the same.

The updated powerplant is managed via a FADEC-style, dual-channel digital engine and propeller electronic control system (EPECS) combined with an autothrottle for ease of engine start and in-flight monitoring.

On the flight deck, the Garmin G3000 avionics suite hosts the HomeSafe autoland system among its safety features, which allows a passenger to initiate an emergency landing function in the event the pilot becomes incapacitated. Underspeed protection and emergency descent management add to the envelope protection available to the pilot.

With a maximum takeoff weight of up to 7,615 pounds, the 960 can carry from 220 to 396 pounds within the pressurized cargo compartment in the cabin—giving loading flexibility for those things you just don’t want to throw in the baggage hold—and up to 1,446 pounds of payload. All of this comes wrapped in a sleek profile that will turn heads on a ramp packed with the snazziest bizjets.

This article was first published in the 2022 Southeast Adventure Guide of FLYING Magazine.

The post Aircraft for Your Escape to Kiawah Island appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Running from April 5 to 10 at Lakeland Linder International Airport (KLAL) in central Florida, FLYING is there, covering all the aviation news.

In case you’ve missed our coverage this week, here’s a quick roundup.

Sun ‘n Fun’s Hidden Gem

Each year the Sun ’n Fun organization solicits volunteers with medical training to staff an on-site emergency aid clinic. During the show, the clinic sees 60 to 80 patients each day, with injuries and illnesses ranging from heat stroke to heart attacks. There’s also an OB-GYN on the rotation just in case. 

Almost all the physicians and at least one of the nurses are pilots, including Margo Wesley, who enjoys patching up her fellow aviators: “We have fun looking after people.” 

• READ MORE: Too Much Fun at Sun ‘n Fun?

Longtime Sun ’n Fun President Gets a Gala Send-off

Friends, colleagues, and the greater aviation family gathered to honor John “Lites” Leenhouts before his transition to retirement.

• READ MORE: Leenhouts Celebrates Retirement at Sun ’n Fun

Aircraft Updates

Kenai Aviation, an Alaska-based air transport company, took delivery of a P2012 Traveller from Tecnam at this year’s Sun ’n Fun. The nine-passenger, high-wing, turbocharged piston twin was developed with commuters in mind. Its modern amenities, comfort, and ergonomic design help the aircraft bring a high level of service to the communities that Kenai serves.

• READ MORE: Tecnam Delivers P2012 To Kenai Aviation

Textron (NYSE: TXT) chose Sun ’n Fun to show off the latest enhancements to the company’s Beechcraft, Cessna, and Bell Helicopter product lines.

Beechcraft has moved the Bonanza’s useful load up to 1,213 pounds, netting a 155-pound gross weight increase (in a standard configuration with six seats). 

Classic piston singles–the Beechcraft Baron and Cessna Skyhawk–will see updated interiors, including new detailing, plus USB and headset port options. The Beechcraft Baron G58 is still completing flight tests and is in experimental mode at the show. 

• READ MORE: Textron Marks Updates to Piston Lineup

Daher Debuts Data-Driven, Efficient Power in TBM 960

With certification under the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in hand, Daher debuted the latest member of its single-engine turboprop family, the TBM 960.

The airplane proposes simplified operations, digital data streams for more thorough analysis—and a level-up in takeoff and climb power of up to 45 shp, according to the company.

• READ MORE: The TBM 960 at Sun ’n Fun

Panel: ‘Single Most Threatening Issue’ to GA

During a sparsely attended Sun ’n Fun GA town hall, heads of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), issued a dire warning: Leaded fuel has left just about every sector of transportation except for general aviation’s piston fleet, so we must be prepared for its departure. There’s a tacit consensus that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will sunset the use of leaded fuel across the GA sector by 2030.

• READ MORE: Sun ’n Fun Panel Sounds Off on Leaded Avgas

New Innovation and Education Opportunities

The Aerospace Center of Excellence (ACE) at KLAL fosters innovation and education through a number of programs and outreach. Latest among those programs is the Elevate Aerospace & Logistics Incubator opening in Hangar A on the grounds of Sun ’n Fun.

The coworking and collaboration space is set to open in June at the Sun ’n Fun grounds.

• READ MORE: ACE Elevate Incubator Unveiled at Lakeland

The post ICYMI: Top Stories from Florida’s Exciting Sun ’n Fun Airshow appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

But those suggestions might stem from a lack of creativity or a sense of adventure. The most thoughtful flying friends will probably ask three things: 

• Where are you headed? 
• Who is going with you? 
• How soon do you need to get there?

My own translation of range, cruising speed, and useful load as a pilot new to the ownership game makes for a good place to start towards characterizing the missions you plan to perform and finding the best aircraft for the job.

Speed Isn’t Everything

Pilots tend to obsess over speed. We want to reach our destination as soon as possible. But going fast usually requires trade-offs, like living with less interior space or giving up short-field performance and load-carrying capability. Models better suited to heavy lifting and backcountry exploration typically cruise at a “relaxed” or “steady” pace at best.

As my wife and I shop for our first airplane, the biggest challenge is finding one that is fast enough to get us from New Jersey to Deer Isle, Maine, in about two hours instead of the four it takes in a Cessna 172. But we’d also like to visit the short turf and gravel strips that dot the islands along the coast. Some are just 1,500 feet long. Suddenly, the 172 shines again.

I believe that deep down, many of us want to travel the world by air in our own airplane, on our own schedule. Or at least take a sizable bite out of the U.S., using its thousands of general aviation airports to access a vast range of attractions. The truth is that you can do it in whatever airplane suits you. 

Authors James and Deborah Fallows spent several years crisscrossing the U.S. in a Cirrus SR22 while researching and writing Our Towns, a sweeping 2018 exploration of the nation’s communities and cultures. In contrast, in 1966 teenage pilot brothers Rinker and Kernahan Buck flew coast to coast in a Piper Cub with no radio. Rinker recalled their experiences in a 1997 memoir Flight of Passage.

Whether you write about your adventures or just enjoy them, you’ll need an airplane that matches the mission. The following list includes categories of aircraft pilots might consider for personal or family transport, and what they can expect in performance from each. Of course, your budget will affect shopping strategy. But since aircraft pricing is itself a huge topic, we aren’t going to dwell on it here. The airplanes below probably cover a range from the price of a basic used car to more than you paid for your house.

Basic Two-Seater

If you are traveling solo or as a couple without kids, the vast world of two-place aircraft could be your oyster. The category includes the stalwart Cessna 150 and antiques like the Aeronca Champ and Piper Cub. Many older tube-and fabric airplanes such as the Champ qualify under today’s light sport rules. This has been a boon for many pilots who no longer want to deal with the hassle of a third-class medical certificate, which is not required for a light sport pilot certificate. While prices have risen lately across the light-aircraft market, the cost of many early two-seat Cessnas, Pipers, Luscombes, and Aeroncas are among the lowest in aviation. The tradeoff in most cases is a slow cruising speed and a back-to-basics flying experience—more like the Buck boys in 1966.

Basic Four-Seater

Cessna’s best-selling 172 is among the usual suspects in this category, with the Piper’s PA-28 and Beechcraft Musketeer typically joining it at airport tie-downs across the country. Many people learn to fly in these machines and later find that they are versatile enough to handle their personal transport needs, like the family car. If your travel plans include short runways and remote turf strips, it is hard to beat a 172, even if it is not particularly fast. Despite having four seats, many of these airplanes are more like two- or three-seaters from a practical standpoint if you want to carry luggage and fill the fuel tanks. Still inexpensive by aviation standards, these models have seen a jump in prices over the last year or two as more people have started flying.

High Performance Four/Six Seater

This is where speedsters like the Cirrus SR22 and Beechcraft Bonanza come in. With cruising speeds often reaching past 180 knots, these airplanes will get you to your destination appreciably sooner than, say, the 172. The Cirrus also comes with an airframe parachute that many buyers have used to convince family members they will be safe in a small airplane. This is a big category that includes familiar models from Mooney 201s and Piper Saratogas to the rare Meyers 200. Most have retractable gear—Cirrus is the exception. Few can comfortably work short strips like a 172. But if you stick mostly to paved runways of 3,000 feet or more, one of these aircraft could strike the right balance.  

Flying SUV

Between basic four-seaters and their high-performance cousins are the Piper Cherokee Six and Cessna 206, with powerful engines, sturdy fixed landing gear, and large cabins that adapt easily between passengers and cargo. Indeed, this pair of six-seat utility aircraft are in their own category. They parallel sport-utility vehicles in that they are designed not just around getting you to your destination, but making sure your stuff gets there, too. While many aircraft owners wind up disappointed over a lack of useful load, these airplanes are less likely than others to let you down. Like a large pickup truck, the 206 and Cherokee Six are known for using lots of gas but fuel economy isn’t a make-or-break factor for most pilots. Speed isn’t a priority, either, as this pair lives in the 140-knot neighborhood.

Turboprop

Sometimes while pushing the 172 out of our club’s hangar, I’ll spot our neighbor towing his Pilatus PC-12 to the ramp. We are both private pilots at a sleepy rural airport but otherwise the contrast is striking in so many ways. The PC-12 is huge and makes the Cessna look like a toy—a well-used toy. Aircraft like the Pilatus, Daher TBM series and Piper M600 represent a big step up in speed, range, load carrying and technology. And yes, we are getting into the luxury-home price range. Still, such aircraft offer a travel experience that invites comparison with airlines—only without crowds and security checks. They also demand more of a pilot than a typical piston single does. With more systems to operate, staying ahead of the airplane becomes more critical, and that’s not easy when you’re cruising at more than 300 knots. To stay current, you will have to train more. But think of the rewards… 

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