Daher has announced the service entry of the first TBM 930 based in Asia. It was delivered in December to Anutin Charnvirakul, who previously owned a TBM 850.

The new single-engine turboprop was ferried by Charnvirakul from Daher’s Tarbes, France production facility to Bangkok in December, departing from Europe after a ritual Thai Buddhist blessing. Charnvirakul’s 5,914-naut. mi. ferry flight involved stopovers in Corfu (Greece), Aqaba (Jordan), Fujairah (United Arab Emirates) and Nagpur (India). The trip’s average cruise speed was 277.5 kts., and the fuel consumption averaged 41.6 gallons per hour.

Shortly after the TBM 930 received its Certificate of Airworthiness from the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand, Charnvirakul performed the maiden operational flight as a volunteer to deliver a heart transplant for the Thai Red Cross organization.

An active pilot and a former Deputy Minister of Public Health and Commerce, Charnvirakul is the current leader of the country’s Bhumjaithai Party.

The TBM 900 and TBM 930 are the latest versions of the TBM family, the latter featuring the Garmin 3000 avionics suite with touchscreen controller.