The TBM Owners and Pilots Association (TBMOPA) – the user organization for DAHER-SOCATA’s TBM 700 and TBM 850 very fast turboprop aircraft – brought together an audience of 76 participants at Mallorca, Spain for its European chapter’s annual convention, held May 3-5. A total of 23 TBM aircraft touched down at Son Bonet and Palma airports, carrying participants from Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the U.S. for three days of meetings and social events. The weekend included a full day of technical presentations. Claude Lelaie, honorary president of TBMOPA Europe, was a guest speaker, with a presentation of the “Brake to Vacate”(BTV) Technology, based on his experience as the Airbus A380 chief test pilot. Other topics were: “Fuel reserve and alternate,” by Dirk Folens; “Torque not temp,” by Yves Houde from Pratt & Whitney Canada, and EGNOS operations by Andrew Knott, the TBMOPA’s Executive director. A companion flying program by Matthew Gouret and John Elford was also provided to help pilot companions to increase their knowledge in assisting their favorite captain and landing their TBM in case of incapacitation. This is our largest event so far, and attendance is on the rise with new owners joining in,” stated David Fabry, the President of TBMOPA Europe. “One-third of the participants were new, and we received very good feedback from the group on all aspects of our gathering. TBMOPA membership brings owners together to enhance their knowledge on a wide array of subjects. It is making our group fly better and safer. Stéphane Mayer, DAHER-SOCATA’s President and CEO, said the company fully supports the TBMOPA association and TBM owners in Europe – as it does in the United States. “We very much enjoyed sharing this event with all European owners. The mood was excellent, the location is beautiful, and the overall content was instructive, well presented and of high quality.” “This kind of gathering gives us excellent opportunity to know, understand and provide better service and products to our customers. It is our willingness to continue working with owners and TBMOPA Europe – along with with TBMOPA members worldwide – towards those targets.” he added. Nicolas Chabbert, Senior Vice President of the DAHER-SOCATA Airplane Division, said TBMOPA’s 2013 convention underscored the owner association’s excellent working relationship with DAHER-SOCATA as the TBM aircraft manufacturer. He also noted that DAHER-SOCATA’s customer support was given high marks by the TBM community, rewarding the company’s continuous efforts. The success of this year’s TBMOPA European convention demonstrates our customers’ growing interest on both sides of the Atlantic in seeking opportunities to meet and talk about their common passion: flying the TBM,” Chabbert concluded. “Thanks to them, the TBM very fast turboprop is now a proven aircraft, logging more than 1,100,000 flight hours in a global fleet of more than 625 TBM 850s and TBM 700s. For more information: SOCATA North America, Inc. North Perry Airport, 7501 South Airport Rd. Pembroke Pines, FL 33023 / USA www.tbm850.com ***
