Daher unveils new cabin configuration with lavatory seat

At EAA AirVenture, the company unveiled a new cabin configuration with an enclosed lavatory seat in the aft fuselage. The Elite Privacy configuration is a bench-type seat with a low divider wall that can convert to a private toilet compartment.

When a button is pressed, two electric motors activate a multi-segment partition that effectively hides the passenger with an anti-lock door. The compartment includes a mirror that illuminates automatically.

The seat weighs 90 pounds and can be installed or removed by a mechanic in 30 minutes. When the Elite Privacy is in place, the aircraft’s capacity goes from six seats to four.

“The divider took a lot of engineering to make sure we have full privacy, but it takes minimum space when deployed,” said Nicolas Chabbert, senior vice president of the Daher Airplane Business Unit.

The Elite Privacy will be available for model year 2017 900s and 950s.

In other news, Daher will deliver its 800^th aircraft to its new home in September. The company has delivered 786 TBM 700, 850, and 900 models to date.

Chabbert said business is picking up in Europe. Three aircraft were delivered to the United Kingdom, which has not been a market for Daher for five years, he said. “We’re seeing France doing OK, Germany and Poland, [we] delivered in Italy. In the first part of the year we delivered seven aircraft, which is almost threefold what we usually do in Europe,” he said.