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Read this story in our February 2020 printed issue.
Daher has delivered its 300th TBM 900 series very fast turboprop. The TBM 940 is the fourth TBM family aircraft that owners Dr Ian Blair Fries and his wife Susan Fries have acquired over the past 20 years. It incorporates a personalised gold and white exterior design, created by US-based aircraft exteriors stylist Scheme Designers, that includes an extra touch added at the Daher Aircraft subsidiary in Florida: a red carnation as worn daily for 50 years by Dr Fries in honour of his patients. The Fries have previously owned a TBM 700B, TBM 850 and TBM 900.
“Based on the TBM's proven design, the upgrades that Daher brings to each new model amply justified our purchases of the four aircraft,” Dr Fries explains. “The TBM fits our transportation profile: I can plan for a 1,000 nm flight under almost any conditions. And it is a pleasure to work with many of the same people for years, which is a credit to Daher. Additionally, I consider the five year warranty of significant value alone in justifying a new acquisition.”
Dr Fries is an FAA-certified senior aviation medical examiner specialising in human intervention motivation study and trained in evaluating pilots for substance or alcohol-related conditions or other mental conditions. As an active pilot, he has logged more than 6,000 flight hours and holds an ATP licence with a Certified Flight Instructor instrument rating. He is a member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association's board of advisors, and serves as its aeromedical consultant and of the Teamsters Airline Division.
“We are grateful to Dr and Mrs Fries for their more than 20 year long loyalty to the TBM, so it was appropriate they received the symbolic 300th TBM 900 series aircraft as their latest acquisition,” comments Daher Aircraft CEO and aircraft division senior vice president Nicolas Chabbert. “Their enthusiasm for the TBM 940 reaffirms that Daher is on the right path as we continue to evolve the TBM family through a combination of efficiency and safety, providing the ultimate flying experience for owners and operators.”
