Announced 5th April
https://www.daher.com/en/daher-launches-the-tbm-960-very-fast-turboprop-aircraft-with-digital-power/
Seems to pack more power, more digital stuff and gizmos aboard. 940 is no more. Would be nice to see live!
That’s one of the worst examples of marketing speak I’ve seen in aviation.
Autostart/FADEC, no more PRIST required and GWX8000 are superb improvements.
The cockpit’s power lever is an e-throttle, using a single forward position from takeoff to landing
Hu? Single power lever position that is used for all stages of flight, takeoff, climb, economy cruise, maximum speed cruise, descent, approach and landing? Is the power set on the G3000 touchscreen or what? Or the marketing copywriter doesn’t know what he is writing about?
Snoopy wrote:
FADEC
Nooooo…It’s an “EPECS”.
Seriously, the aircraft may be great but that web page…
lionel wrote:
Or the marketing copywriter doesn’t know what he is writing about?
Do you have to ask? “Digital power”…
More automation, less pilot skills… Even as an engineer I reckon a great piece of engineering, that’s not a good way to pilot skills and efficiency, and more dangerously a way that leads us to a “AP engage” on the ramp by the pax owner.
Luckily we have cherokees :D
lionel wrote:
Hu? Single power lever position that is used for all stages of flight, takeoff, climb, economy cruise, maximum speed cruise, descent, approach and landing? Is the power set on the G3000 touchscreen or what? Or the marketing copywriter doesn’t know what he is writing about?
It’s about eliminating the “h” layout and its positions.
loco wrote:
It’s about eliminating the “h” layout and its positions.
I found it clever, but apparently too much. So they will replace it with a button? 
greg_mp wrote:
More automation, less pilot skills…
Maybe but FADEC (or whatever they call it) is actually a great thing for the PT6 engine (if it is reliable, but I assume there will be a manual override). It is very easy to overtorque those engines which depending on aircraft type can result in incredible financial damage. Also setting the power in a go around or take of roll is difficult taking away attention from looking outside. So pushing the power just all the way forward like in a piston is great. On my last SEP checkride the inspector complained a bit I advanced the power with so much caution and he did not know why I had this habit to not slam it forward ;-)
lionel wrote:
Single power lever position that is used for all stages of flight, takeoff, climb, economy cruise, maximum speed cruise, descent, approach and landing?
That is how Airbus has worked for decades, even though they have 3 more positions due to flex. On the Airbusses, throttles are left in CLB position for all of the flight other than take off, where either Flex or MTOP detents are used. Works fine. You only pull back the throttles when prompted by the “Retard” command. Or of course in non-standard operations.
I suppose that is how this one works as well, only that due to the lack of Flex position they decided to use one detent for all regimes with the autothrottle system doing the rest without physically moving the throttle. Pull it out of that detent and it is a normal manual throttle, leave it in there and the electronics do the rest. Pull it back when prompted for landing.
