I reckon they must have a well organised and well funded body which lays everything on, and keeps everyone in the loop through the year. Is this funded by Socata from their general revenue, or do TBM owners pay towards it?
Hi Peter,
I am the founder and president of TBMOPA EUROPE, past board member of TBMOPA in the US.
I jointly organise the yearly European gathering and recently attended the event in Phoenix.
The TBM fleet in the US is around 600 airplanes. TBMOPA is the independent owners group in charge of setting up this fly-in with more than 100 TBMs on the ramp (quite a sight). Daher, its distribution network, main suppliers and fees charged to owners are the backbone supporting the event. Coordination is outsourced and the event generates income to TBMOPA which allows other initiatives.
With a smaller fleet, TBMOPA EUROPE will gather 25 TBMs over 3 days, provide seminars and a great social experience. Our group is self managed with 4 board members sharing duties to setup these events, enhance ownership experience and allow prospective owners to get direct reviews from existing operators.
TBM owners are passionate pilots and we also typically see around 50 airplanes at Oshkosh where the owners group feels like family (A handful coming from Europe in 2017)
Getting these events off the ground, bringing quality speakers and discovering new grounds takes quite a bit of resources that I have always been happy to spend mostly to promote safety and enjoy camaraderie.
We actually are actively working on our 2017 event taking place May 19th-21st….not quite sure where though but within TBM range for our European drivers (even if we see regulars from South America and Asia who come a long way!)
Cheers,
David
