Entrepreneur Robert Kowalczyk (pictured) is using the first Polish-registered TBM 850 to spearhead the international expansion of his communications company. The Sat Film owner and pilot, who is part of a new generation of self-made businessmen in Poland, graduated as an historian before creating Sat Film 18 years ago from scratch.

Kowalczyk, aged 46, says: "I started flight training in 2004 and obtaining a pilot's licence was a dream come true for me. While preparing for my instrument rating in 2007 I decided to order a VLJ to extend the company's operations all over Europe.

"But during my instrument rating training course, I realised the VLJ could not land on the short runways close to my final destinations and this would add travel times to my typical trips. So I looked for another aeroplane. Ultimately, I decided that a very fast turboprop would best meet my needs and that the TBM 850 was exactly what I was looking for in terms of speed, range and operating efficiency."

Sat Film is a TV cable and communications operator that offers services in Lodz, the third largest city in Poland. "The company now counts 60,000 subscriptions to its cable, telephone and internet services. In the next step, it anticipates a licence for mobile phone services," says Kowalczyk. "I think, based on its performance and flexibility, that the TBM 850 is perfectly suited to work that will help link the established business in eastern Europe to developing business in western Europe."

Kowalczyk says factors that influenced his decision included the TBM 850's maximum cruising speed of 320 kts. He says: "It combines the cruising speed and trip times of a light jet with the economic direct operating costs, range and eco-friendly environmental signature of a turboprop engine. The TBM 850's maximum range and useful load and the ability to land at small airports are very important features."