With the sun slowly setting on Garmin’s landmark G1000 EFIS suite, aircraft manufacturers are rapidly switching to the follow-on G1000 NXi product. At AirVenture, Daher rolled out its version in the new TBM 910 single-engine turboprop in the first U.S. debut.
Aerodynamically and performance wise, the 910 is similar to the 930 announced last year and selling well in North America and Europe. The difference between the two airplanes is the EFIS suite; the 910 has the G1000 NXi, the 930 sports the touchscreen G3000 that Garmin has been pitching to the turboprop and light jet market. Daher’s Nicolas Chabbert says that while the G3000 is cutting edge, about half of its TBM buyers don’t want to give up familiar softkeys and buttons for touchscreen convenience.
The 910’s NXi suit improves substantially on the original G1000 with a faster processor and high-resolution displays, plus a dedicated keyboard and a joystick for quicker access to menu items and screen data. The NXi also includes the FS 510 Bluetooth/Wi-Fi module. The TBM 910 will rapidly displace the 900, Chabbert said, but added, “We’re not deciding for our customers. We’re letting them decide.”
Sales of TBMs remain respectable, Chabbert said, but he still considers the market relatively flat. “I don’t think you can say the market is back. Our program is strong in a flat market,” Chabbert said.
Also in the Daher booth at AirVenture is a restored Morane-Saulnier Type L Parasol, a World War I-era aircraft used in France to train some 1800 American airmen. The work was done at Daher’s plant in Tarbes, France. We’ll have a video on the Parasol later in the week.
