Read more about the aircraft and the manufacturing process behind Daher's flagship TBM series. It was an incredible invitation. Daher and veteran ferry pilot Margrit Waltz asked me to join her on the flight that would bring serial No.
When an owner in the U. Immediately prior to rolling out the door, the designated representative hangs the FAA airworthiness certificate upon the airplane, blessing it with a November registration to help facilitate the transfer of ownership upon arrival in the States. Ferry pilots fly adhering to routinesβand often with a lucky charm or two.
Francis doll knitted for her by a friend in Portugal. But it's the airplane itself that proves the most worthy companion. At kias from FL , we could glide up to 70 nm before reaching sea level. This was no longer an abstract chart to remember. To maximize our time at the altitude for optimal speed westboundβFL βMargrit put us into a climb at best rate: kias.
With an outside air temperature of minus 29 degrees Celsius climbing through 23, feet, she kept 98 percent torque up front at 1, fpm. But the five legs of the mission spanned 15 hours even at that speed. A ferry pilot must handle the weather they get, not the weather they wish for, as alternates grow slim as the flight path stretches polar above 55 degrees north latitude.
But I found photos of friends on the walls, and a charming library dedicated to a local World War II hero. They would be correct. The objective hazards rise: strong westerly winds, the certainty of icing in the clouds, and brutally cold temperatures that await you in the air and on the ramp. And, a serious lack of daylight. The cabin of the TBM stays comfortable, however, even though when I press my fingers to the glass as we cross Greenland, the cold sends a shiver through me.
