The Atlantic Crossing
The Flight of a lifetime in a Socata TBM 850

Story by Jeff Berlin featured in Private Air, Sept. 06

Soon I'll be heading down to Tarbes, near the border of Spain, and visit with EADS Socata, where I'll see how they build the new, six-seat TBM 850, their answer to the VLJ. And then with Socata's chief test pilot, Christian Briand, I'll fly one back to New York.

Indeed the idea of hopscotching my way to New York from southern France had me as excited as a 10-year-old at Euro-Disney.

"…VLJs therefore will often be held at lower altitudes, and with their already limited fuel capacities they'll have to fly slower or stop more often short of their destination to refuel. Not so with the TBM 850." -Andrew Knott

The feeling of supreme satisfaction was overwhelming as we hopped from the TBM onto Canadian soil. Now I was north of New York-way north, but on the same continent. I had done it. I had crossed the Atlantic. (...)