Daher TBM 980: The Pilot Ease of the Prime

I last flew the Daher TBM series with the 960 in August 2024, so it’s been a solid two years since I had the privilege. Way too long. But the universe conspired to get me back into the left seat—and having flown several iterations of the sweet dragon before, I could hardly wait.

The TBM 980 debuted in January 2026, and the model had already chalked up more than 30 deliveries by October, when I had the opportunity to go fly this impressive evolution of the 900-series design—backed by the legacy of the original TBM 700, which first took flight in July 1988.

When the 960 came out in 2022—powered by the Pratt & Whitney PT6E-66XT turboprop engine, and equipped with HomeSafe, Daher’s version of Garmin Autoland for the TBM series—it marked a new, digital era for the design. That’s even more true for the 980, because Garmin’s open-architecture G3000 Prime flight deck delivers a synergetic experience for the pilot at every stage of flight.

For our demo flight, I flew serial number 1630, Daher’s demonstrator for the model, and you’ve seen it on display at Sun ‘n Fun and Oshkosh this year. It was an early show time at Daher’s U.S. home base in Pompano Beach, Florida (KPMP), to fit in all the plans laid with demo pilot Wayman Luy and Daher vice president of communications Jeffrey Lenorovitz—but the pilot ease inherent in the Prime avionics soon became clear, and took away any previous feelings of drinking through a firehose when learning a new stack.

The TBM 980 launched on January 15, 2026, and already has delivered more than 40 units. [Credit: Julie Boatman]

Walkaround

The TBM 980 presents a new approach to the preflight inspection, with the pilot able to complete multiple tasks before getting to the airplane via Garmin’s PlaneSync and the Me & My TBM app. You can check the airplane’s fuel and oxygen levels, and database updates can be automated. And like several past iterations of the Garmin G1000 and G3000 series flight decks, you can build a flight plan using either Garmin Pilot or ForeFlight and load it directly to the Prime via Bluetooth. A lot of this was possible with the 960, but with the 980 it’s integrated more fully from the model’s launch.

Inspection of the Pratt & Whitney PT6E-66XT involves a lot less sleuthing through various components, since the engine compartment is simply less cluttered. That’s because of FADEC and the EPECS (electronic propeller and engine control system), which drives the guts of the operation into a y-shaped evergreen-colored cord bundle on the left front side of the compartment.

Prist-free operations mean there’s no need to carry the anti-icing fuel additive along with you on long journeys far afield. To go without, the pilot is tasked only with monitoring fuel pressure, and keeping the boost pump on, startup to shutdown.

Several inspection points have been made easier, including the addition of external oxygen servicing, which now takes place outside the cabin by the pilot or service personnel.

The TBM 980 allows for Prist-free operations. [Credit: Julie Boatman]

Controller pilot datalink communications come standard on the TBM 980. [Credit: Julie Boatman]

Garmin G3000 Prime

Initialization presets on the Prime come up as the aircraft avionics are powered up. The pilot can run a checklist directly through the hat switch on the yoke’s right horn, or on the screen itself.

Initialization on the center SDU runs through a sequence that shows the flight plan along with weight and balance input. Fuel can sync to the level sensed by the system and be adjusted by the pilot, then shown on a graph with the projected trip burn and any CG shift.

At 7,155 pounds TOW with 26.9 MAC, we were on the light side of MTOW by 500 pounds, and the burn on the graph showed that we would remain in CG during the flight. We carried 1,927 pounds of fuel out of the chocks plus two pilots, one passenger, and less than 100 pounds of flight bags and gear. For reference, we had a 5,278 pound zero fuel weight at 26.3 MAC.

The center MFD can be placed in split-screen mode, and it accepts multiple inputs—both pilots can activate, tap, or scroll the screen simultaneously.

Bright high-definition displays allow for detailed resolution, and apps like Jeppesen’s ChartView can be zoomed in to large, easy-to-read print size, and tapped to full screen with icons similar to those we encounter on our various smart phones. Additional profiles can be preset by the pilot and saved.

The gear on the TBM series rewards a smooth touchdown. [Credit: Julie Boatman]

The pilot door offers direct access to the left seat, with no need to climb across passengers in the back. [Credit: Julie Boatman]

Engine Start and Taxing Out

The FADEC-supported automated start and autothrottle modes used throughout a given flight do not absolve the pilot of closely monitoring parameters—and you must set the throttle to idle prior to initiating the start sequence or a CAS message illuminates.

But it’s pretty easy from there: For engine start, you just set the fuel pump on, engine mode to Run, clear the prop, and hold the starter switch on for 2 seconds, to ensure the contact engages. Once the engine has stabilized, you finish that checklist, and you’re ready to taxi.

SafeTaxi goes to the PFD in front of the pilot flying—and to both pilots if you run the PFDs on both sides, as we did for our test flight—and presents in taxi mode a birds-eye view that gives great situational awareness for taxiing operations. You can also taxi with the system in flight view mode—and regardless, use it to back up what you see out of the windows. The transition to the flight mode slews the view automatically once the aircraft turns through a 45-degree angle to the runway.

You can use the autothrottle on takeoff, or you need to wait to engage it above 1,000 feet agl. With it engaged, you just push the lever forward and the engine parameters stay in line, allowing you to keep more of your focus outside the airplane.

Com frequencies can be autoloaded from the Prime, or changed the old-fashioned way. [Credit: Julie Boatman]

The centrally located autopilot controller allows for direct entry by either pilot. [Credit: Julie Boatman]

Contextual Checklists

A “Door” CAS message gave us the chance to see how the contextual checklist system works in flight. The message is triggered from a proximity switch, and it’s backed up by checking the mechanical linkage and ensuring the door handle is properly seated. When it illuminated, the procedure was straightforward: Check which door is in question on the system page, then touch the CAS message, and the appropriate checklist pops up. We cross-checked the four green-hashed points on the pilot door to confirm that the mechanical linkage was locked in place. The message cleared, and we continued on.

The messages themselves—along with other system indications and info blocks—are in a larger, crisper font as well. Pilots can see instantly which fields are adjustable on-screen as the bevels around those fields are rounded slightly, while the non-tappable fields have sharp corners.

Coms are found using the Primary tab on the SDU, and the frequencies can be autoloaded from various pages, or entered on the SDU page digitally or via the knobs on the physical audio panel to the lower left of the center MFD.

Similarly, the physical AP control panel is top center reachable from both left and right seat and has the altitude preselect and other knobs common from previous Garmin digital autopilot controllers.

The “wheel” on the G3000 Prime pops up nav data and key functions right on the screen. [Credit: Wayman Luy]

Prime Features

The wheel that pops up around a waypoint or other nav feature also represents a big step forward, as the entry of a direct-to or insertion of the point can be accomplished right there—without having to dig up the flight plan page. Within the wheel you can also call up the weather, frequencies, and runway info, and an inner ring displays the distance and heading to the point from your present position.

Overall, Garmin has programmed in many ways to do each task, which should please everyone, from the minimalist to the pilot who likes to orchestrate multiple screens at once.

We set a climb to FL310, and first Ft. Lauderdale Approach and then Miami Center stepped us up in increments, but, to our good fortune, anticipating the next altitude assignment before we had to level off. I generally hand fly to the maximum possible during most pilot demos since our time is at a premium, but passing through FL280, I turned on the autopilot for RVSM compliance, then leveled at 31,000, accelerating eventually to 169 KIAS. We were at ISA +13 to 15C for most of the flight above 7,000 msl, which translated into -34C at 310 and an average of Mach 0.479 or a TAS of 288 kts, all at 72% for cruise torque, 99.7% Ng, and 1,925 Np (prop RPM).

CPDLC Rocks

Wayman coordinated with Miami Center to send us a series of coms via the CPDLC on board. Where CPDLC is available, the interface in the Prime makes it super easy to call up, confirm, and load frequency and altitude changes. Very slick.

When ATC sends a message, such as an altitude assignment, that falls outside the parameters of the TBM 980, the system won’t let the pilot autoload the altitude. It can be overridden manually, but the check makes that choice deliberate instead of perpetuating a mistake.

Garmin GWX 8000 digital weather radar comes standard, and when displayed on the MFD overlays the route neatly, with the StormOptix automatically tweaking the radar settings to show a 3D view of the cells ahead. The radar picture complements the SiriusXM weather subscription that also comes with the airplane.

We make use of the airframe’s strength and produce an emergency descent profile that exceeds 4,000 fpm down without putting the airspeed much over 230 KIAS. Usually this elevator-type descent elicits a comment from ATC (“Are you guys okay?”) even within a pilot’s discretion descent clearance, and this time was no exception. Nice to know they’re looking after us.

I had a philosophical moment regarding the Home Safe program when I was reviewing the pilot information manual ahead of the flight. It states clearly that Home Safe must be deactivated if the pilot is no longer incapacitated—which runs counter to the real-life actions from the first Garmin Autoland activation in anger in an aftermarket installation in a King Air landing back at KBJC. As a pilot, I’m thankful for having all the tools available to me, whether I ever need to use them or not.

A stop at Airglades for practice approaches allows for a break to admire the TBM 980’s ramp presence. [Credit: Julie Boatman]

More Connection

The ability for Starlink Mini satellite coms is available through a cockpit mount from the factory, and there’s a dedicated 100-watt USB-C power port to support that installation.

The passenger comfort displays (PCDs) and power ports help those in the back while away the time, wishing they were up front flying, I guess. In all seriousness, the PCDs allow those in the cabin to both monitor the flight details, including heading, airspeed, and altitude, and adjust the electrically dimmable windows and LED lighting. The Prestige interior carries on the classic yet sporty looks the line is known for.

Approach Mode

Loading and activating the approach will feel familiar to pilots conversant in either the G3000 or G1000 NXi, with some additional assistance from the larger print size on charts and other key data fields.

At Airglades (2IS), we set up for a missed, then came back around to land. To execute the go-around, just press the TOGA button on the left side of the throttle, and move the throttle itself to max—FADEC increases the power in a deliberate fashion to avoid ITT exceedances. In sequence, scoop the flap lever to the TO setting—10 degrees—and get up and out of there to try again.

A trip around the pattern back to a long final set me up for my first TBM landing in a couple of years. I didn’t “land” the nose fully, so it wasn’t the smoothest, but I acquitted myself reasonably well. This is a common challenge for TBM pilots, and one that they compete with each other on using the scoring in the Me & My TBM app. I’m ready to come back for a rematch with the scoring turned on.

We shut down for a break at Airglades, and the restart after a 10-minute interval went off readily. Our departure took us back to Pompano. We maneuvered for Runway 33 back at KPMP, and had relatively moderate winds for landing.

The TBM 980’s airframe has evolved incrementally through the 900 series. [Credit: Julie Boatman]

The combination of the Pratt & Whitney PT6E-66XT and five-blade Hartzell propeller equal digital engine control and high performance. [Credit: Julie Boatman]

Arrival

Power setting with the autothrottle engaged follows FLC (flight level change) inputs and configuration changes. But like the AP, the AT must be clicked off prior to 200 ft agl on approach so that the pilot has an opportunity to adjust to hand-flying again.

This time, I’m a little low on airspeed as I touch down, again still in pursuit of that TBM landing of my dreams. At least I didn’t use more than 3,000 feet of runway in the process of getting familiar again.

The integration between avionics and airframe strikes a new chord with the 980’s marriage to the Prime. Throughout the flight, I felt as though if I didn’t know explicitly where to find something, my first guess would probably be correct, based on the adaptation of the G3000 to the aircraft systems. The symphony continues for the TBM 900 series.

The tail on the TBM series places it distinctly into its SOCATA heritage. [Credit: Julie Boatman] The post Daher TBM 980: The Pilot Ease of the Prime appeared first on AvBrief.com.