Daher Aircraft had a high-level participation in the 2024 convention of the TBM Owners and Pilots Association (TBMOPA), underscoring the company's continued support for this organisation as it celebrates its 20th year of existence.

Held last month at the city of Indian Wells in the Palm Springs area of California, the TBMOPA Convention brought together 285 attendees composed of TBM pilots/owners and their spouses or companions; representatives from the network of TBM distributors and service centres; personnel from industry suppliers; and a nine-member Daher team led by vice president of customer support Raphael Maitre.

A total of 81 TBMs, representing the full product line from the cornerstone TBM 700 to the TBM 850, TBM 900, TBM 930, TBM 940 and the latest TBM 960 version, were flown to the Convention's host airport, Jacqueline Cochran Regional airport at Thermal in Riverside County.

“As the TBMOPA celebrates two decades of activity, the association maintains its very important role in bringing together the growing number of TBM aviators with the focus on flight safety and operational efficiency,” Maitre says. “As the manufacturer of the TBM aircraft family, Daher's support for the TBMOPA remains a top priority based on three jointly-supported pillars: operating best practices; proper maintenance; and communications and networking.”

TBMOPA is recognised as one of the most proactive owner and pilot associations in the general aviation and business aviation sectors. This was underscored during the 2024 Convention's four days of in-depth sessions, which covered such topics as: training standardisation across the pilot and instructor communities, backed by Daher's Safe Horizons initiative; briefings on cockpit technology; experts’ tips on flying the TBM; and guidance aviation taxes. An update on the airplane marketplace underscored the continued value of all versions of TBM aircraft, benefitting from Daher's dedication to product support and system/technology upgrades.

Among the Convention’s highlights was Daher's two-hour panel presentation, entitled ‘A Day in the Life of TBM Care’. With the participation of TBM Care managers from both the US and France, this discussion provided a detailed review of the company’s commitment to customer support and enabled an open dialogue on a full range of ongoing subjects, which was highly appreciated by attendees.

“The Daher-TBMOPA partnership continues to grow stronger and stronger, and the success of this year’s annual convention is a vivid example of the win-win relationship,” says TBMOPA chairman JJ Suarez. “In the name of all TBMOPA members I want to thank Daher for its continuous support, from the annual convention to the various TBMOPA programmes and initiatives throughout the year.”

A traditional feature of the TBMOPA annual convention is a live auction of donated TBM equipment, systems and accessories, as well as travel experiences and adventures, to raise money for the TBMOPA Foundation. At the 2024 meeting, this auction logged a new record total of $272,500, which included the $35,000 winning bid for Daher Aircraft's donation of an aviation adventure to France for next June, involving business-class airline travel and high-end hotel stay in Paris, VIP treatment at the 2025 Paris Air Show, plus a visit to the Daher Aircraft headquarters and TBM production facility in Tarbes, France, capped off with a flight from Tarbes over southwestern France.

The TBMOPA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charity that promotes the future of aviation through contributions that include the Able Flight nonprofit aviation organisation, which enables flight training and aviation career scholarships for pilots with a variety of physical disabilities, including wounded or disabled veterans. Also covered by the Foundation is an annual scholarship at the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, awarded to a student from an under-represented community who wants to work as a pilot in aviation; and a new annual scholarship at the Texas Woman's University to support a student pursuing a BSc in aviation science, covering tuition, fees and flight training costs.

Additionally, the Foundation supports the Air Care Alliance and Angel Flight West, which rely on volunteer pilots and their aircraft to provide free air transportation for patients and veterans in need of medical treatment, as well as for conservation-related initiatives. Another source of the Foundation's backing is for the TBMOPA's own series of TBM safety seminars.