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The Socata TB is a series of light single engine piston aircraft developed and manufactured by French aircraft company
SOCATA SOCATA (later EADS Socata and DAHER-SOCATA) was a French producer of general aviation aircraft propelled by piston engines and turboprops, including business planes, small personal or training aircraft, as well as the production of aircraft stru ...
. The letters TB within the designation stands for
Tarbes Tarbes (; Gascon: ''Tarba'') is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitanie region of southwestern France. It is the capital of Bigorre and of the Hautes-Pyrénées. It has been a commune since 1790. It was known as ''Turba'' ...
, the French city where the aircraft is manufactured. The TB series planes have come to be known as the "Caribbean Planes", due to the island naming convention adopted for the various models, though they are not often seen flown in that region. All aircraft (with the exception of the TB9) have a
constant speed propeller In aeronautics, a variable-pitch propeller is a type of propeller (airscrew) with blades that can be rotated around their long axis to change the blade pitch. A controllable-pitch propeller is one where the pitch is controlled manually by the ...
. The TB series have become widely used training and touring aircraft and are often used for instrument training. They are defined by their superior (and contemporary) fit and finish and interior size; compared to other four-seat single-engine aircraft, they are relatively roomy at at the shoulder, plus or minus. In part, this is due to the fuselage having a pronounced "round out" above the wing. Adding to the actual spaciousness, the side windows extend up well into the roof line, giving the Socata an airy feeling. Due to the larger fuselage, and relatively heavy weights, TB series aircraft have lower performance figures than a similarly sized and powered but narrower aircraft, and the trade-off of speed for comfort is often cited by TB owners. During the 2000s, sales of the TB family suffered as a consequence of a worldwide aviation recession, leading to SOCATA seeking to restructure the marketing and production aspects of the programme. Leading on from several cost-cutting measures, such as reorganisations of staff, negotiations with suppliers, and
outsourcing Outsourcing is an agreement in which one company hires another company to be responsible for a planned or existing activity which otherwise is or could be carried out internally, i.e. in-house, and sometimes involves transferring employees and ...
, between 2004 and 2008, the company sought to transfer all production of the TB series out of France, selecting
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
to produce the type. However, sales of the type failed to recover, resulting in the end of series production in favour of built-to-order manufacturing instead and, eventually, the termination of all marketing and production activities by 2012. Support remains for existing customers, and new upgrades had been introduced for these aircraft, such as the option to
retrofit Retrofitting is the addition of new technology or features to older systems. Retrofits can happen for a number of reasons, for example with big capital expenditures like naval vessels, military equipment or manufacturing plants, businesses or go ...
glass cockpit A glass cockpit is an aircraft cockpit that features electronic (digital) flight instrument displays, typically large LCD screens, rather than the traditional style of analog dials and gauges. While a traditional cockpit relies on numerous mech ...
s.


Development


Origins

During the mid-1970s, French aircraft company
SOCATA SOCATA (later EADS Socata and DAHER-SOCATA) was a French producer of general aviation aircraft propelled by piston engines and turboprops, including business planes, small personal or training aircraft, as well as the production of aircraft stru ...
commenced design work on what would become the TB family of
general aircraft General Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer from its formation in 1931 to amalgamation with Blackburn Aircraft in 1949 to become Blackburn and General. Its main products were military gliders and light transport aircraft. His ...
; a key ambition of this new product line was to entirely replace the firm's existing and highly successful
Rallye Rally is a wide-ranging form of motorsport with various competitive motoring elements such as speed tests (often called ''rally racing),'' navigation tests, or the ability to reach waypoints or a destination at a prescribed time or average speed. ...
series of aircraft. A first prototype, powered by a
Avco Lycoming O-320 The Lycoming O-320 is a large family of naturally aspirated, air-cooled, four-cylinder, direct-drive engines produced by Lycoming Engines. They are commonly used on light aircraft such as the Cessna 172 and Piper Cherokee. Different variants ...
engine, flew on 23 September 1977, but was lost during spin testing on 15 December that year. A second prototype was fitted with a engine. As intended, throughout 1979, production of the Rallye family began to draw down as production of the new family; the initial entry models of which were designated as the ''TB-9 Tampico'' and the ''TB-10 Tobago'', with
type certification A type certificate signifies the airworthiness of a particular category of aircraft, according to its manufacturing design (''type design''). It confirms that the aircraft of a new type intended for serial production, is in compliance with applica ...
by the French
Directorate General for Civil Aviation Directorate may refer to: Contemporary *Directorates of the Scottish Government * Directorate-General, a type of specialised administrative body in the European Union * Directorate-General for External Security, the French external intelligence a ...
on 26 April 1979.Moxon 20 July 1993, p. 33. On 18 December 1980, an improved model of the aircraft, designated as the ''TB20'', was awarded its
type certification A type certificate signifies the airworthiness of a particular category of aircraft, according to its manufacturing design (''type design''). It confirms that the aircraft of a new type intended for serial production, is in compliance with applica ...
by the French aviation authorities. During March 1981, the first delivery of a production TB20 was completed to a
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...
customer. Various improved models of the TB series were subsequently developed. SOCATA adopted a straightforward assembly philosophy at its final assembly facility in Tarbes, choosing to only complete a given aircraft after having already received an order for it. Basic airframes would be produced in advance and finished upon order, allowing for customer-specified modifications and optional equipment to be installed as per their demands. While the type was completed upon a single assembly line at the facility, all models, low and top end alike, were finished upon the same line. At the start of 1993, SOCATA was manufacturing around 12 aircraft of the TB series per month, by the middle of the year, this had dipped to roughly 8 aircraft per month. During the 1990s, an improved model of the TB family, designated as the ''TB20 Trinidad'' was developed. Around 2000, all aircraft in the TB series underwent modernisation; to reflect this upgrade, the letters ''GT'' (standing for ''Generation Two'') were applied to applicable models. The GT versions feature an enlarged cabin and various
aerodynamic Aerodynamics, from grc, ἀήρ ''aero'' (air) + grc, δυναμική (dynamics), is the study of the motion of air, particularly when affected by a solid object, such as an airplane wing. It involves topics covered in the field of fluid dyn ...
improvements; the most noticeable differences between the first and second generation models are the redesigned wing tips, which are noticeably rounder upon the older models, and the shape of the
vertical stabiliser A vertical stabilizer or tail fin is the static part of the vertical tail of an aircraft. The term is commonly applied to the assembly of both this fixed surface and one or more movable rudders hinged to it. Their role is to provide control, sta ...
, which is curved on the lower front on the GT models. The styling of the rear windows have also changed, being more blended with the fuselage on the GT models; an optional three-bladed Hartzell, which reduced cabin noise and increased ground clearance, was also made available. During February 2000, SOCATA officially launched its Generation Two range, having received a major US order for 79 aircraft from West Coast
distributor A distributor is an enclosed rotating switch used in spark-ignition internal combustion engines that have mechanically timed ignition. The distributor's main function is to route high voltage current from the ignition coil to the spark plugs ...
New Avex New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...
.


Restructure and end of production

During the early 2000s, a major worldwide downturn in the aviation industry resulting from the 2001
9/11 The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial ...
terrorist attacks in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
had severely impacted sales of the TB family. During 2003, the decision was made to suspend serial production of the type and substantial efforts were launched to establish new
outsourcing Outsourcing is an agreement in which one company hires another company to be responsible for a planned or existing activity which otherwise is or could be carried out internally, i.e. in-house, and sometimes involves transferring employees and ...
arrangements, particularly focused upon companies within eastern European companies. By mid-2004, SOCATA expected to produce a maximum of 30 aircraft that year, substantially lower than the capacity available. In addition to cost-saving efforts, aimed at reducing costs by at least 30 per cent; a detailed study was also conducted into future of the TB family, including an examination of a projected all-
composite Composite or compositing may refer to: Materials * Composite material, a material that is made from several different substances ** Metal matrix composite, composed of metal and other parts ** Cermet, a composite of ceramic and metallic materials ...
derivative of the existing aircraft. During March 2004, SOCATA transferred all of its sales and marketing operations from its office in
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
to its manufacturing site in Tarbes as a cost-saving measure. During mid 2004, the company announced that it was considered available options for relocating portions of the manufacturing chain for the TB family abroad, the move was attributed to the associated savings in labour costs that such a move would result in.Wastnage, Justin
"Socata set to move TB work to cut labour costs."
''Flight International'', 17 August 2004.
During June 2005, it was revealed that SOCATA was in the process of evaluating between two prospective new manufacturing locations in
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
and
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
, having ruled out an arrangement with EADS PZL Warszawa-Okęcie SA in
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
after the collapse of negotiations between the two parties. During 2007, it was announced that SOCATA was in the process of organising the transfer of the final assembly line of both the TB20 and TB21 models, together with a tentative model known mostly as the ''TB2X'', to a new manufacturing site in Bacau, Romania, and operated by Aerostar as part of an industrial
offset agreement Offsets are compensatory trade agreements, reciprocal trade agreements, between an exporting foreign company, or possibly a government acting as intermediary, and an importing entity. Offset agreements often involve trade in military goods and ser ...
.Sarsfield, Kate
"TB20 production to go to Romania."
''Flight International'', 6 February 2007.
The TB2X was the working designation for a new model in the TB series; this aircraft would most likely have been similar to the TB20 Trinidad, except for being powered by a
Diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-call ...
instead. As late as 2007, SOCATA were reporting that they anticipated a production rate of up to 100 aircraft per year to be attained at the new Bacau facility. During 2006, it was alleged by a Dutch news site, that all production activity of the TB series would soon be terminated. At this point, while no such official announcement had been issued by the company, it was apparent that the order book for the TB family was vacant of any aircraft of the type at this time; the last three TB aircraft to have been ordered had already been delivered two years prior. During 2008, SOCATA announced that from that point onwards, the TB GT Series would be built to order only. By 2012, the TB GT series had disappeared as an order option altogether. However, the existing aircraft of the type have continued to be supported by the company; more recently, the option of
retrofit Retrofitting is the addition of new technology or features to older systems. Retrofits can happen for a number of reasons, for example with big capital expenditures like naval vessels, military equipment or manufacturing plants, businesses or go ...
ting a
Garmin Garmin Ltd. (shortened to Garmin, stylized as GARMIN, and formerly known as ProNav) is an American, Swiss-domiciled multinational technology company founded in 1989 by Gary Burrell and Min Kao in Lenexa, Kansas, United States, with headquart ...
-built
glass cockpit A glass cockpit is an aircraft cockpit that features electronic (digital) flight instrument displays, typically large LCD screens, rather than the traditional style of analog dials and gauges. While a traditional cockpit relies on numerous mech ...
has been made available to customers.


Design

The SOCATA TB family is a series of single-engine light aircraft developed for
general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...
and
training Training is teaching, or developing in oneself or others, any skills and knowledge or Physical fitness, fitness that relate to specific practicality, useful Competence (human resources), competencies. Training has specific goals of improving on ...
purposes. Some versions, such as the TB-200 model, were specifically produced to meet the varied requirements of the trainer aircraft role.Moxon 20 July 1993, p. 34. The type is often known for its favourable, easy to handle flight characteristics, such as its appropriate handling and control sensitivity, vice-free flying attitude, and being readily recoverable with ease from a typical stall, which lend themselves to less experienced pilots. Due to the absence of violent low-speed behaviour, the presence of a stall warning indicator is both necessary and furnished.Moxon 20 July 1993, p. 35. The design of the cabin incorporates a spacious and comfortable interior, intentionally reminiscent of luxury road vehicles. It can be accessed via either side of the aircraft; the door is intended to be left ajar while on the ground so that the cabin is better ventilated. A large canopy provides the pilots with a generous external view; elements of the cockpit instrumentation and controls, such as the
annunciator panel An annunciator panel, also known in some aircraft as the Centralized Warning Panel (CWP) or Caution Advisory Panel (CAP), is a group of lights used as a central indicator of status of equipment or systems in an aircraft, industrial process, buildin ...
, central pedestal, and individual elements like the nav/
com Com or COM may refer to: Computing * COM (hardware interface), a serial port interface on IBM PC-compatible computers * COM file, or .com file, short for "command", a file extension for an executable file in MS-DOS * .com, an Internet top-level d ...
and the
circuit breaker A circuit breaker is an electrical safety device designed to protect an electrical circuit from damage caused by an overcurrent or short circuit. Its basic function is to interrupt current flow to protect equipment and to prevent the risk ...
s, have been positioned to enable their easy overview as well.Moxon 20 July 1993, pp. 34-35. To aid in achieving fuel-efficiency, a simple fuel tank selection arrangement, augmented by digital gauges, is present upon most models. The TB series all share the same basic fuselage and interior configuration. The primary differences between the models typically found in areas such as the landing gear, engine, and propeller. * TB-9, TB-10, and TB-200 have fixed landing gear and optional landing gear fairings. * TB-20 and TB-21 are fitted with retractable landing gear. * TB-9 was offered with a normally aspirated engine and either a two-bladed, fixed-pitch propeller or a two-bladed, constant speed propeller ("Tampico CS"). * TB-10 was offered with a normally aspirated engine and a two-bladed, constant-speed propeller. * TB-200 was offered with a normally aspirated engine and two-bladed, constant-speed propeller. * TB-20 was offered with a normally aspirated engine, and either a two- or three-bladed constant speed propeller. * TB-21 was offered with a turbocharged engine and a three-bladed constant speed propeller.


Operational history

The SOCATA TB family has been heavily used for
general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...
purpose, for which it was originally designed. While typically operated by private individuals, it has been relatively popular with both civil and military training schools across various countries. According to aerospace publication
Flight International ''Flight International'' is a monthly magazine focused on aerospace. Published in the United Kingdom and founded in 1909 as "A Journal devoted to the Interests, Practice, and Progress of Aerial Locomotion and Transport", it is the world's oldes ...
, by around 1993, flight schools were accounting for the vast majority of orders for the type and that, by this point, 520 TB family aircraft had been sold to a total of 24 schools across the world. The
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
n market proved to be of vital importance to the TB series; by 1993, SOCATA had received orders for in excess of 1,500 aircraft from various different customers within the region. Flight International attributed some of this success being due to product liability legislation having had a severe impact upon its American competitors, to which it was not affected by. A major customer of the TB family has been the
Civil Aviation Administration of China The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC; ) is the Chinese civil aviation authority under the Ministry of Transport. It oversees civil aviation and investigates aviation accidents and incidents. As the aviation authority responsible f ...
(CAAC), which deployed the type as a trainer aircraft. During the late 1980s, China was reportedly exploring the possibility of establishing its own independent production line to produce the TB-20 Trinidad model under licence. During December 1993, the CAAC confirmed its order with SOCATA for 43 aircraft, comprising 38 TB-200 Tobago XLs and 5 TB20 Trinidads; at this time, this was the largest ever single order to be received for the TB series.


Variants

; SOCATA TB-9 Tampico :Four-seat light cabin aircraft, powered by a Lycoming O-320-D2A piston engine, equipped with a fixed pitch propeller, fitted with fixed tricycle landing gear.Taylor 1980, p. 75. ; SOCATA TB-9 Tampico Club :Four-seat training version. ; SOCATA TB-9C Tampico Club : ; SOCATA TB-9 Sprint :Fitted with a spatted undercarriage. ; SOCATA TB-9 Sprint GT :Improved version of the TB-9 Sprint. ; SOCATA TB-10 Tobago :Four or five-seat light cabin aircraft, powered by a Lycoming O-360-A1AD piston engine, equipped with a fixed spatted landing gear. ; SOCATA SB-10 Tobago Privilege :Limited edition model. ; SOCATA SB-10 GT :Improved version of the TB.10 Tobago ; SOCATA TB-11 :Powered by a 134 kW (180 hp) piston engine. ; SOCATA TB-15 :Proposed version. Not built. ; SOCATA TB-16 :Proposed version. Not built. ; SOCATA TB-20 Trinidad :Four or five seat light cabin aircraft, powered by a piston engine, fitted with retractable tricycle landing gear. ; SOCATA TB-20 Trinidad Excellence :Limited edition model, fitted with enhanced avionics. ; SOCATA TB-20 C Trinidad :Air ambulance and freight transport version. ; SOCATA TB-20 GT :Improved version of the TB-20 Trinidad. ; SOCATA TB-21 Trinidad : ; SOCATA TB-21 Trinidad TC: :Turbocharged variant with Lycoming TIO-540 B1AD. ; SOCATA TB-21 Trinidad GT :Improved version of the TB-21 Trinidad TC, fitted with a digitally-controlled turbocharger. ;
SOCATA TB-30 Epsilon The Socata TB 30 Epsilon is a light military trainer aircraft produced by SOCATA (then part of Aérospatiale). It is a tandem two-seater with a metal airframe. The first prototype flew on 22 December 1979. Design and development In 1978, the F ...
:Military trainer aircraft unrelated to any of the other aircraft in the TB-series. ; SOCATA TB-31 Omega :Proposed turboprop powered version of the TB-30 Epsilon. Only one aircraft built. ; SOCATA TB-200 Tobago XL :Five-seat light cabin aircraft, powered by a
Lycoming IO-360 The Lycoming O-360 is a family of four-cylinder, direct-drive, horizontally opposed, air-cooled, piston aircraft engines. Engines in the O-360 series produce between 145 and 225 horsepower (109 to 168 kW), with the basic O-360 producing ...
A1B6 piston engine, fitted with fixed tricycle landing gear. ; SOCATA TB-200 Tobago XL GT :Improved version of the TB-200 Tobago XL. ; SOCATA TB-360 Tangara :An unrelated proposed aircraft based on the
Gulfstream American GA-7 Cougar The Gulfstream American GA-7 Cougar is an American all-metal, 4-seat, twin-engined light aircraft. The Cougar was a twin-engine development of the Gulfstream American AA-5B Tiger and traces its lineage to the AA-1 Yankee Clipper and the Be ...
. Never entered production.


Operators


Military operators

; *
French Air Force The French Air and Space Force (AAE) (french: Armée de l'air et de l'espace, ) is the air and space force of the French Armed Forces. It was the first military aviation force in history, formed in 1909 as the , a service arm of the French Army; ...
; *
Greek Coast Guard The Hellenic Coast Guard ( el, Λιμενικό Σώμα-Ελληνική Ακτοφυλακή, Limeniko Soma-Elliniki Aktofylaki, Port Corps-Hellenic Coast Guard) is the national coast guard of Greece. Like many other coast guards, it is a para ...
- received two TB.20s in 1988. ; *
Indonesian Navy The Indonesian Navy ( id, Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Laut, , Indonesian National Military-Naval Force, TNI-AL) is the naval branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. It was founded on 10 September 1945 and has a role to patrol I ...
; *
Israeli Air Force The Israeli Air Force (IAF; he, זְרוֹעַ הָאֲוִיר וְהֶחָלָל, Zroa HaAvir VeHahalal, tl, "Air and Space Arm", commonly known as , ''Kheil HaAvir'', "Air Corps") operates as the aerial warfare branch of the Israel Defense ...
; *
Royal Jordanian Air Force The Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF; ar, سلاح الجو الملكي الأردني, Silāḥ ul-Jawu al-Malakī 'al-Urdunī) is the aerial warfare branch of the Jordanian Armed Forces. History Early days Jordan gained independence in 19 ...
; *
Turkish Navy The Turkish Naval Forces ( tr, ), or Turkish Navy ( tr, ) is the naval warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces. The modern naval traditions and customs of the Turkish Navy can be traced back to 10 July 1920, when it was establi ...
7 TB-20 ; *
Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force , patron = , motto = , "Skyhigh is my place" , colours = Ultramarine blue , colours_label = , march = , mascot ...


Civil operators

; *
Directorate-General of Customs and Indirect Taxes The Directorate-General of Customs and Indirect Taxes (french: Direction générale des douanes et droits indirects, DGDDI), commonly known as ''les douanes'' (Customs), is the customs service of the French Republic. It is responsible for levying i ...
- TB.20 Trinidad * Ecole Nationale de l'Aviation Civile - 33 TB20 Trinidad and 10 TB20 GT ; * Indonesian Civil Aviation Institute (ICAI) ; Nigerian College of Aviation Technology ; *
Philippine State College of Aeronautics The Philippine State College of Aeronautics (PhilSCA ; fil, Kolehiyong Pampamahalaan sa Aeronautika ng Pilipinas) is a state college in the Philippines specializing in aeronautics and aviation. Its main campus is in Pasay, Metro Manila, with oth ...
(PHILSCA) ; * Scuola di Volo Treviso ; * TAFE South Australia - 19 TB10


Specifications (TB 10)


See also


References


Citations


Bibliography

* Bennett, William W. ''Flying the SOCATA Trinidad, Tobago & Tampico'', 2012. . * Moll, Nigel. "The Turbo Trinidad Will Satisfy Your Higher Aspirations". '' Flying'', Volume 118, No. 8, August 1991, pp. 82–90. * Moxon, Julian
"Private Preparations."
''Flight International'', 20 July 1993. pp. 32–35. * Taylor, John W. R. ''Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1980–81''. London: Jane's Publishing Company, 1980. . * Taylor, John W. R. ''Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1982–83''. London: Jane's Yearbooks, 1982. .


External links


Socata TB User Group
{{Socata 1970s French civil utility aircraft TB Single-engined tractor aircraft Low-wing aircraft