The TBM Owners and Pilots Association (TBMOPA) held its 2024 conference in Indian Wells, California, with celebrations for the association’s 20th anniversary.
The TBMOPA convention brought together 285 attendees, composed of TBM pilots and owners and their spouses or companions; representatives from the network of TBM distributors and service centers; personnel from industry suppliers; and a nine-member Daher team led by Raphael Maitre, Daher Aircraft’s Vice President of Customer Support.
A total of 81 TBMs — representing the full line from the cornerstone TBM 700 to the TBM 850, TBM 900, TBM 930, TBM 940, and Daher’s latest TBM 960 — were flown to the host airport, Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport (KTRM) in Palm Springs.
TBMOPA is recognized as one of the most proactive owner and pilot associations in the general aviation sectors, according to officials with Daher, which manufactures the TBM.
This was underscored during the 2024 convention’s four days of sessions, which covered such topics as: Training standardization across the pilot and instructor communities; along with briefings on cockpit technology; experts’ tips on flying the TBM; and guidance on aviation taxes.
A traditional feature of the TBMOPA’s 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 organization, 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 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, awarded to a student from an underrepresented 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 Bachelor of Science 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, officials noted.
For more information: TBMOwners.org
Leave a Reply