EADS Socata hosts Australia's first TBM Fly-In
Coolangatta (QLD), Australia, 27 October 2008
The first Australian fly-in of TBM owners, pilots, and industry partners was hosted by EADS Socata last weekend at Gold Coast Airport in Coolangatta, Queensland.
The gathering was a total success, attracting 31 participants and bringing together three TBM 700s and two new TBM 850s – representing 80% of the TBM fleet in Australia. This get-together featured briefings on the new Garmin G1000 cockpit system, which was introduced on the TBM 850 in 2008. The G1000 is an all-glass integrated flight deck, and its next addition is the synthetic vision system – which is expected to be available for TBM cockpits in the first quarter of next year.
Industry partners who joined Socata’s presentations at the Australian Gathering included Pratt & Whitney (Asia Pacific), the Civil Aviation Safety Authority for RVSM, QBE Aviation Insurance, Complete Avionics, Angel Flight Australia, Strategic Aviation, Joss Group, McDonald Holdings and Runge Aviation. At end of the first day, the activities were capped with panoramic views from the Qdeck of the Q1 Hotel and a dinner-show at the famous Australian Outback Spectacular!
“We are extremely pleased by this initial TBM Australian Gathering, which is another sign of the TBM’s excellent success in the Australian market,” said Nicolas Chabbert, EADS Socata’s Vice President Sales & Marketing. “This is the result of the recent years of marketing efforts by Mark Diaz, EADS Socata’s country representative, which included a 20,000-naut.-mi.-long demo tour across the Pacific in 2007. The 2008 Australian Gathering provided us a great opportunity to listen to our customers, and which enables our team to act on their feedback. As a result, a certain number of customer support initiatives are now at work.”
About EADS Socata
EADS Socata is one of the world’s leading general aviation manufacturers, with more than 17,000 aircraft built since its creation as Morane-Saulnier in 1911. Current products include the TBM family of high-speed turboprops, TB GT piston aircraft, aerostructures for Airbus civil airliners, the A400M military transporter, Dassault Falcon jets, Eurocopter helicopters and Embraer regional jets. EADS Socata is expanding its customer service activities, to support its growing fleet of TBM and offer its light aviation expertise for aircraft below 5.7 metric tons through avionics modernization, maintenance, repair and overall package offers. Headquartered in Tarbes, France, with North American operations in Pembroke Pines, Florida, EADS Socata is a wholly-owned subsidiary of EADS group.
About EADS
EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2007, EADS generated revenues of € 39.1 billion and employed a workforce of about 116,000. The Group includes the aircraft manufacturer Airbus, the world's largest helicopter supplier Eurocopter and EADS Astrium, the European leader in space programs from Ariane to Galileo. EADS is the major partner in the Eurofighter consortium, develops the A400M through its Military Transport Aircraft Division, and holds a stake in the joint venture MBDA, the international leader in missile systems.
Media contact:
| Philippe de Segovia |
Tel.: +33 (0)6 70 21 70 47 www.socata.eads.net mailto: philippe.de-segovia@socata.eads.net |
