Daher’s New TBM 940 Makes Its First Public Appearance at AERO Friedrichshafen

Daher’s latest addition to its very fast turboprop aircraft family – the TBM 940 – is receiving a warm welcome for its public debut at the AERO Friedrichshafen general aviation show in Germany.

This ninth evolution of the TBM product line is characterized by an increased level of automation in the cockpit. Aligned with Daher’s TBM e-copilot® strategy of introducing increased functionality for operational safety improvements, the TBM 940 features an automated throttle and automatic icing detection system – both of which are firsts for a production turboprop aircraft in the TBM’s weight category.

“Building on the TBM 940’s first public appearance at AERO Friedrichshafen only one month after its official announcement, we are now awaiting certification by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to start initial deliveries,” said Nicolas Chabbert, Senior Vice President of the Daher Airplane Business Unit. “The aircraft’s new features represent a further evolution of our TBM e-copilot® concept, providing assistance in single-pilot operations.”

Chabbert added that customer response to the TBM 940 is promising, with 25 orders already booked and discussions underway for many more. One of the sales was made today at the AERO Friedrichshafen show by Rheinland Air Service, TBM Authorized distributor for Austria and Germany, to a German customer, for a september delivery.

The TBM 940’s integrated autothrottle system automates the engine’s power control and monitoring. Fully integrated with the aircraft’s autopilot, the GMC 711 AT controller decreases a pilot’s workload with such new modes as the selection of vertical speed (VS) or indicated airspeed (IAS). During the climb phase, the pilot no longer needs to continuously adjust the throttle to reach the optimum torque – thereby providing improved safety in flight and additional protection for the engine.  

In addition, the engine parameters are now displayed on an intuitive smart engine indicator on the Garmin G3000 flight deck that indicates the limits with different color codes (green, amber and red) for torque, interstage turbine temperature (ITT) and gas generator RPM (Ng).

The TBM 940’s automatic icing detection system provides automated protection while keeping the pilot fully in the loop. When icing or ice accretion is detected by an externally-mounted sensor – and if the pilot does not take action – the automatic icing detection system will activate deicing devices on the airframe, windshield, propeller and the engine’s particle separator. An amber CAS (Crew Alerting System) message is displayed by the avionics, advising the pilot to clear the automatic activation and revert to the manual control mode.

In the TBM 940’s cabin, an enhanced interior combines comfort and aesthetics with redesigned seats and the addition of practical amenities. Among these is a new central shelf with side storage and USB ports, bringing the total number of USB ports available for passengers to six, with three for pilots. A 115 Volt universal plug complements the 14 Volt cigarette lighter socket, allowing occupants to use a wide range of electrical devices in the cabin.

The TBM 940 offers the same range, performance and technical features that have contributed to the success of the TBM 900 and its derivatives.

Daher is present at the AERO Friedrichshafen show until April 13 in Hall A3, Booth #321.