Austrian owner-operator and entrepreneur Herbert Baumgartner and his wife Susan have selected a Daher TBM 900 to replace their previous TBM 850. The manufacturer showcased its upgrade packages at Aero Friedrichshafen last month, which include avionics enhancements for TBM 700s and TBM 850s that were not equipped with glass cockpits. Pricing starts from USD 95,000 for installation of the Garmin G600 glass cockpit configuration and also available is a complete USD 190,000 package including a dual G600 retrofit, GTN 750 multi-function display and L3 ESI-2000 stand-by avionics. A

total of 51 TBM 900s were delivered in 2014, followed by 11 aircraft so far this year from a total of 47 orders.

The TBM 900 is the latest variant of Daher's single engine turboprop line. It offers a maximum cruise speed of 330 kts and high efficiency with a 1,730 nm range and fuel consumption of 37 US gallons per hour. The maximum range and useful load, as well as the ability to land at small airports, are some of its customers' favourite features.