Trucking Business Owner Purchases His Second TBM 850

Daher-Socata Tuesday announced the sale of a 2009 TBM 850 to the Carlisle Carrier Corporation’s CEO Dave Metzler, which will replace his previous TBM 850 as a corporate transportation tool. The order was finalized at AirVenture 2009 in Oshkosh  - where Daher-Socata had a high-profile presence.

The new aircraft for Carlisle Carrier was ordered through Daher-Socata’s Columbia Aircraft Sales distributor, and will be delivered before the end of 2009. Metzler said the TBM 850 was chosen to replace his previous TBM after an evaluation of competitive jet aircraft, and his decision included advantages of the very fast turboprop transport’s range and advanced flight deck. “The TBM 850 has exactly the range we need to visit customers as far away as Minnesota – which is a 1,000 nm trip from our home base in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, while also providing highly cost-efficient operations on typical 300 nm positioning trips for our teams,” Metzler explained. “The warranty policy of Daher-Socata also was a strong selling point.”

Carlisle Carrier was created in 1990 by Metzler based on his two decades of trucking industry experience. The business started with five trailers, four owner-operators, and one customer. Today, the company employs 300 people and operates a fleet of 250 tractors and 1,000 trailers – serving 115 customers and completing 96,000 shipments annually.

“This latest order demonstrates the TBM 850’s advantages for operators seeking a highly efficient business aircraft that offers a combination of speed, range and technology,” said Nicolas Chabbert, the President of Socata North America. “The fact that we completed this sale at AirVenture Oshkosh underscores the continued importance of this annual aviation gathering, which attracts TBM owners, operators and prospective customers, along with our industry partners and colleagues.”

Cookie Metzler, Dave Metzler, Ken Dono

Since its launch in 2005, the company has sold more than 200 TBM 850's, with 164 delivered to date to customers around the globe. As the world’s fastest single engine turboprop, the TBM 850 has a maximum cruise speed of 320 ktas. at 26,000 ft. (in ISA conditions). It is an 850-shp. version of Socata's proven six-seat TBM 700 turboprop business aircraft, and combines the cruising speed and travel times typical of light jets with highly economical direct operating costs, while offering the range and excellent payload capacity of a turboprop aircraft.

FMI: www.tbm850.com