Ramp Appeal: TBM 850
The French-built TBM series invented and validated the single-engine, pressurized, turboprop category in the 1990s.
The 850 model was introduced in 2006 with a three-screen G1000 instrument panel and—as the name implies—a Pratt & Whitney PT6A-66D engine that produces up to 850 horsepower. Unlike the TBM 700 model that preceded it, the 850 is RVSM certified (meaning it can legally fly above 28,000 feet) and has a ceiling of 31,000 feet.
And while the TBM now has lots of competition from the Pilatus PC–12, the Piper M600, and soon, the Cessna Denali, it’s managed to carve out an enviable niche at the high end of the market with high speed (315 KTAS), long range (up to 1,400 nm), excellent fuel economy, and Garmin integrated avionics suites.
The TBM can safely operate on relatively short runways of 3,000 feet (or even less) that are completely off limits to light jets.
In fact, the TBM has some big advantages over light jets: TBM pilots aren’t required to get type ratings, they can fly to and from shorter runways, turboprop fuel consumption is far lower, and range and payload are at least comparable, if not superior.
From a pilot perspective, TBMs are highly responsive with excellent handling qualities, they accelerate and decelerate quickly, and—unlike piston aircraft engines—turboprops can climb and descend quickly without concern for shock cooling or overheating.
TBMs have straight landing gear, which requires more pilot finesse than the trailing link variety on some competitors, and TBM pilots take pride in perfecting their landing technique, which requires keeping the nose down until the airplane is in ground effect. Once on the ground, the airplane can use “beta” or reverse thrust to stop quickly.
TBMs tend to hold their resale value. An 850, for example, is likely to be worth about $2 million.
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