Very Fast Turboprop Will Supply Corporate Transportation
Daher-Socata said Tuesday it has delivered its first
G1000-equipped TBM 850 very fast turboprop aircraft to an
Australian customer. The TBM 850 was delivered to Warwick and
Katrina Hawksworth of Capstone Financial services. This
independently owned and operated organization was formed in July
2002 and has rapidly grown to become one of Australia’s
leading financial planning licensees.
“We selected the TBM 850 after several years of marketing
research, which determined that Daher-Socata’s very fast
turboprop was the best in speed, low operating costs and
short-field operations,” Hawksworth said. “A meeting
with Daher-Socata representatives at the 2009 Avalon Air Show
ensured us of the company’s commitment to support and
reliability.”
The TBM 850 for Hawksworth is a model year 2010, equipped with
the Garmin G1000 avionics suite, which replaces traditional
instruments with large liquid crystal display (LCD) screens. It
integrates the primary flight, navigation, weather, traffic, ground
proximity and technical information on the aircraft, and is fully
associated with a digital autopilot. This reduces pilot workload
and eases maintenance – making the TBM 850 one of the
world’s most advanced light business aircraft. The Garmin
G1000 avionics suite has been integrated as standard equipment on
the TBM 850 since 2008.
Hawksworth flew his new TBM 850 from Daher-Socata’s
production facility in France to Australia with Capstone Aviation
company pilot Rodney Irvine. This 10,850 nm trip took 37 hours 15
minutes, with stopovers in Kerkira (Greece), Hurghada (Egypt),
Dubai, Ahmedabad and Kolkata (India), Bangkok (Thailand),
Singapore, Bali Den Pasar (Indonesia), Darwin, Mt Isa and Melbourne
(Australia).
Capstone Financial Services has grown from five offices to
more than 70 locations in Australia. This fast growth generates a
significant travel requirement across Australia from its Melbourne
headquarters, which ultimately created the need for a new
aircraft.
“The recognition of the TBM 850’s efficiency and
operational attributes by a company such as Capstone Financial
Services is a real endorsement of our aircraft’s value for
entrepreneurs.” said Nicolas Chabbert, Senior Vice President
of Daher-Socata’s Airplane Division. “We expect further
growth of the TBM fleet in Australia – a large country that
is well suited to our very fast turboprop’s capabilities in
corporate transportation.”