Did anybody read the article on the TBM 900 in Business/Commercial Aviation this month ?

Looking at the performance numbers, my crystal ball says the VLJ, CJ, etc, market is under threat by the single engine turboprops, to include the awesome PC-12 and other TBMs.

Yes, the 900 is a game changer as is the Cirrus Jet. VLJ's are in deep trouble.

We beat this horse a month or so ago.

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=89608&hilit=tbm+900

The 900 certainly looks to me to be a good, significant development over the 850. I am not sure it's a game-changer.

What I admire Daher-Socata for is actually developing their product. They didn't just put a bigger engine in, in fact they didn't change the engine at all - they did fundamental airframe design to get more speed and range out of the 850. They managed all this R&D internally on the back of 40-50 airframe sales a year (and some pretty steep ongoing costs for older TBM owners it has to be said...).

As much as I love the King Air and as much as I want Beech to succeed under Textron, Beech outsourced turboprop development 20 years ago to Pratt, Collins, Raisbeck, Blackhawk and, most recently, BLR. That's great for owners of an old airframe, as many of us are, but it doesn't make the new models more competitive against rivals who actually develop their product.

The TBM900 has some massive range-speed-payload advantages over a C90GTX. It also has a totally modern cockpit, which TBM redesigned completely to integrate the G1000. A $4-7m King Air still has obsolete switches and gauges and systems dating from the 60s, even with the Proline 21 panel plugged in (which itself feels a bit obsolete to me - where is the Fusion, or better still, the G3000?)

To an extent the same applies to the Mustang and Phenom 100. Zero development since these models were launched in the mid 2000s (ok, a few tweaks to the Phenom and a "High Sierra" paint scheme on the Mustang). The Citation M2 is a nice development of the CJ1+, but where is the Mustang+, which brings some more range/speed/payload and a proper toilet?

Meaning which models? Eclipse, Mustang, Phenom 100?

I spoke to the pilot who purchased the first TBM 900, sn 1001. This plane replaced a Mustang and Meridian he had. On a 600 nm flight that he does weekly he arrives within 5 min of the Mustang time with a lot less fuel.

Meaning which models? Eclipse, Mustang, Phenom 100?

You want NEW airplanes to have Proline 21?

The reason I went PC12 as opposed to CJ3 was because I didn't want to have to go learn an obsolete avionics system like Proline 21. CJ3+ has Garmin 3000. Everything is going Garmin.

Yes, G1000 is obsolete now too.

Eclipse, Mustang, Phenom 100, M2, CJ1, CJ2=VLJ

At CJ3 and Phenom 300 and up the planes are large enough to have the utility and range of an SET and also the speed of a jet.

You want NEW airplanes to have Proline 21?

The reason I went PC12 as opposed to CJ3 was because I didn't want to have to go learn an obsolete avionics system like Proline 21. CJ3+ has Garmin 3000. Everything is going Garmin.

It doesn't really matter. Gotta keep going.

Don't get me started on how silly the Honeywell Apex is in my PC12.

It doesn't really matter. Gotta keep going.

Don't get me started on how silly the Honeywell Apex is in my PC12.

Why doesn't the TBM 900 have the G3000?

Maybe that will be the TBM 950 ...?

I'd still goo with the NG. Pilatus is committed to Honeywell and I do believe it will advance if Honeywell can get it's head out of it's ass. Honeywell is the only competition to Garmin. If they tried they could do something nice. I have no idea why they are so lacking.

Cost alone. I asked that question to Nicholas Chabbert and he told me the G3000 would cost min. $100k extra for no other benifits vs the G1000.
I agree it wont make it perform better.






Why doesn't the TBM 900 have the G3000?

Maybe that will be the TBM 950 ...?

Eclipse, Mustang, Phenom 100, M2, CJ1, CJ2=VLJ

At CJ3 and Phenom 300 and up the planes are large enough to have the utility and range of an SET and also the speed of a jet.