Speedy Orders For Quick Turboprop
While somewhat
overshadowed by major news coming from other manufacturers at this
year's AirVenture event in Oshkosh, EADS Socata still had some big
announcements... including the news the company will award two
scholarships in 2007 through an agreement with the EAA, that will
give a unique opportunity for two American graduates of the EAA
Young Eagles program.
The EADS Socata scholarship will provide to the two students
visits to major European aerospace industry sites including an
in-depth visit to EADS Socata’s manufacturing plant in
southwest France, in order for those who are training for an
aviation career to learn about the European aerospace industry.
"The EAA Young Eagles program has been hugely successful in
introducing over 1.25 million young people to flying and in
encouraging them to investigate careers in aviation," said Stephane
Mayer, Chairman and CEO of EADS Socata. "The creation of the EADS
Socata/EAA Young Eagles scholarship is a step towards the goal of
strengthening transatlantic ties between the American and
Europe’s aviation communities."
"The Young Eagles who become part of this new program will be
able to see from their own eyes that aviation is a universal
language truly without borders in the best traditions of the Wright
brothers and Socata's own founders, the Morane brothers and Robert
Saulnier."
The EAA Young Eagles program was launched in 1992 to give young
people, ages eight thru 17, an opportunity to go flying in a
general aviation airplane. These flights are offered free of
charge, and are made possible through the generosity of EAA member
volunteers. The EAA Young Eagles have been registered in more than
90 different countries and missions have been flown by nearly
40,000 volunteer pilots.
EADS Socata also announced its latest aircraft, the
single-engine TBM 850 turboprop, is speeding through in the order
book almost as quickly as it speeds through the skies, with 32
orders for US deliveries valued at $91 million -- and a total order
backlog of 50 planes.
"Since its introduction in December 2005, the TBM 850 has met
with huge interest from the aviation public, clearly indicating we
were right that a 'faster TBM' would better address the owner-flown
market place than building a whole new generation of aircraft,"
said Mayer. "Our order backlog now totals more than 50 aircraft,
which is a record for the TBM program and is a real indication of
the acceleration of customer interest in the TBM 850."
Built on the success of the TBM 700, the TBM 850 offers a
maximum cruising speed of 320 KTAS at flight level 260 (in ISA
conditions) combining the cruising speed of a light jet with the
economic direct operating costs of a single-engined turboprop.
EADS Socata is headquartered in Tarbes, France, and its North
American operations are located Pembroke Pines, FL. EADS Socata is
a wholly-owned subsidiary of EADS.