More Than 100 TBM Owners Participate in Safety Program

Six months after launching the TBM Advanced Aviator Program (TAAP), the TBM Owners and Pilots Association (TBMOPA) has signed up more than 100 participants. The program is designed “to pursue zero accidents in the TBM fleet by establishing a rigorous, professionally oriented standard of annual training and proficiency.”

TAAP participants who complete six core requirements during a 12-month period earn advanced aviator status from TBMOPA. The requirements include recurrent training with a TAAP-qualified instructor, an instrument proficiency check, adherence to TAAP operational guidelines, at least 100 hours of TBM pilot-in-command time, a sustained approach score above 80% on the Me & My TBM app, and at least two approved enrichment activities.

Instructors must have at least 1,500 hours of pilot-in-command time, 500 hours in turboprops, and 100 hours in TBM single-engine turboprops. Independent instructors can qualify to become TAAP-qualified, and training to meet TAAP requirements is also available at CAE/Simcom and Goldberg Aviation.

“In just six months, TAAP has grown into something we are genuinely proud of,” said TBMOPA director of safety and training Adam Kudzin. “The pilots who have enrolled aren’t checking off boxes, but are committing to a higher standard of airmanship and joining a community that believes safety is a practice, not a destination. Reaching this milestone reinforces our belief that TAAP will become the defining safety program for TBM operators.”