Press Release

Issued by Daher Aerospace.

July 31, 2013

An avionics “glass cockpit” retrofit kit for Daher-Socata's TBM 700 and TBM 850 very fast turboprop aircraft was announced by the company today during a news conference at the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh air show in Wisconsin. 
The supplemental type certificate (STC) approval for this installation is expected later this year. 
Key elements of the retrofit kit are: 
 - a Garmin G600 dual-screen as the primary flight display, 
 - a Garmin GTN 750 touchscreen as the multi-function display, 
 - a Mid-Continent Instruments and Avionics MD302 stand-by instrument module, and 
 - a replacement panel. 
Cost of the basic upgrade will be approximately $120,000, and initial installation time is estimated at 300 man-hours. 
The retrofit's combination of the G600 and GTN 750 screens will provide TBM 700/TBM 850 pilots with enhanced situational awareness, along with a reduction in workload. The twin-screen G600 brings the primary flight display (PFD) and multi-function (MFD) display into a single 10-inch-wide electronic instrument. 
Garmin's GTN 750 touchscreen is a GPS/NAV/COM system that offers touchscreen operations, graphical flight planning, transponder control, audio control and electronic chart capabilities. 
The MD302 standby attitude module (SAM), developed by Mid-Continent Instruments and Avionics, is a part of the package to replace traditional stand-by instruments. Entirely self-contained, it provides attitude, altitude, airspeed information in a compact 2 X 5-inch package that weighs 1.6 pounds. The MD302 contains two led-backlit LCDs, with one displaying attitude and the other airspeed and altitude. 
"Our team has done an excellent job in offering a high quality and functional system integration that will be available through our network,” said Nicolas Chabbert, senior vice president of Daher-Socata airplane business unit. “It definitely will be a nice upgrade for the owners of the 400 non-glass TBM 700s and TBM 850s at an affordable cost – which will increase the overall value of their TBM aircraft."