Santa Fe, New Mexico,
September
27, 2004
Worldwide owners of the EADS Socata TBM 700 general aviation/business aircraft met September 22-26, 2004 at the Bishops Lodge Resort & Spa in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
This event was the largest TBM owner convention to date, with over 200 attendees and 70 aircraft on site. In the past, EADS Socata hosted the event, but this is the first year that the convention was hosted by the TBM Owners and Pilots Association with sponsorship from EADS Socata. Previous locations included: Bahamas, Paris, Los Cabos and Montreal.
The weekend-long event included presentations by EADS Socata and several vendors, with the intent of updating owners about their products, maintenance, fleet status and insurance. Owners hosted seminars on several topics and were able to voice their opinions. A silent auction was held to raise money for the operation of the owners’ group.
Stéphane Mayer, EADS Socata’s CEO, was in attendance and stated. “The annual owner’s convention is a terrific venue for us to meet directly with our customers and learn first-hand about their ownership experience. The TBM Owners and Pilots Association has done an outstanding job of promoting and organizing the event this year, carrying on the tradition that started at EADS Socata.”
The location for the 2005 TBM Owners convention was announced at Santa Fe, and will be held in Hilton Head, South Carolina from October 12-14. For more information you can visit the TBMOPA website at www.tbm700.com .
About EADS Socata
EADS Socata is the leading general aviation manufacturer in Europe and an industrial partner of major aerospace programs. Wholly owned by EADS, the second largest aerospace and defense company in the world, EADS Socata generated $200 million USD in sales in 2003 and employs 1,080 people in France and the United States. Socata Aircraft, Inc., a subsidiary of EADS North America, represents EADS Socata in the Americas.
