Daher Delivers Its 1,100th TBM-Series Turboprop Single To U.S. Pilot-Owner

Bruce McCollum (middle, wearing blue jacket) joins Daher team members on the TBM final assembly line at Tarbes, France, prior to the trans-Atlantic ferry flight of his TBM 960—which was the 1,100th TBM-series aircraft delivered. Photo: Daher

Private pilot Bruce McCollum, who has previously owned a TBM 850 and a TBM 900, met up with his new ride, a Daher TBM 960, at the Tarbes, France, headquarters of Daher’s Aircraft Division. “I had a great tour of the factory in Tarbes,” he said, “which was very impressive: you can feel the dedication of the Daher teams who design, build and constantly fine-tune the TBM.”

McCollum’s purchase is extra special for Daher, as it represents the 1,100th TBM-series single-engine turboprop to be delivered. And for McCollum, the delivery will involve participating in the trans-Atlantic delivery journey—a bucket-list experience in and of itself. That journey culminates with the formal delivery at Daher’s U.S. headquarters in Pompano Beach, Florida.

The TBM line began in 1990 with the TBM 700, introduced as “the first civilian pressurized single-engine turboprop aircraft,” according to Daher. The TBM 900-series launched in 2014 and culminates with the TBM 960, “the ultimate evolution of the brand today,” said Daher in its announcement of McCollum’s initial delivery ceremony in France.

Nicolas Chabbert, the senior vice president of Daher’s Aircraft Division, said, “The 1,100th delivery is an achievement that we owe to our faithful customers for their continued confidence, and which is built on the dedication of our Daher teams in engineering, flight test, production and support.”

Editor

Mark Phelps is a senior editor at AVweb. He is an instrument rated private pilot and former owner of a Grumman American AA1B and a V-tail Bonanza.