South African businessman Chris Brand has invested in a TBM 700C2 which he will be flying privately. Formerly head of now defunct Shumba Charters, which was formed in 1997 with a Beech Baron 58, Brand used to carry out charter to game farms as well as flying for hunting, fishing and family holidays. “I was yearning for something different, and considered the Caravan and a PC-12 because I know a lot of people that have them,” he comments. “They felt a bit like flying a bus to me and did not have the nippy feel of the Baron about them. I wanted something smaller but with a good useful load.

“I often fly on my own and go to remote places to mountain bike, so there was no point in having all the extra seats. I had heard about the TBM and I researched it a great deal. The problem was that I didn't have a hangar big enough to house the TBM at my home airfield, Kitty Hawk. I managed to solve this problem by finding a big hangar that I could buy a third share in.”

Brand shares the hangar with his colleague Bassie, who has his own Squirrel in the hangar along with a 2,500 litre bowser, which met Brand's Jet A1 needs.

Margrit Waltz, one of the world's finest female pilots, joined Brand for his ferry flight, which turned out to be her 800th transatlantic crossing. “We had a great reception in Goose Bay and when we landed in Glasgow, two fire trucks shot an arc over us to welcome us,” explains Brand.

The aircraft went to Wonderboom airport in South Africa to get its certificate of registration, and is now stationed at Kitty Hawk. Brand rates it extremely highly: “First up, the aircraft is one of the fastest single turbines in the world. This one does 280 knots, and the 930 now does 330 knots. So it is faster than twin engine King Airs and the PC-12NG.That's the attraction; you can fly six people with the most amazing payload capability.

“It can carry about 140kg more than the Baron for the same trips I do including 1.5 hours fuel reserve. It's got full de-icing and the ceiling is 31,000 ft. On our transatlantic crossing with 150 knots tail winds we were doing 422 knots. There is not much else turbine wise that can compete with it, and it is only a single, making it relatively cheap to run. So it was speed, economy and space that were the attractions for me.”

He concludes: “Cabin wise, it is also much larger than the Baron. It is strange that there are not more of them around, and so many people seem to go for the Caravan or PC-12. They are nowhere near as fun to fly as the TBM, which feels nice and light like a sports car.”