Socata TB-10 Tobago GT (c/n 2113, PH-COP), static display at 44th Sanicole International Airshow, Hechtel-Eksel, September 2024.
In the mid-1970s, the French aviation company Société de construction d’avions de tourisme et d’affaires – SOCATA, developed a new family of General Aviation aircraft, designated TB and intended to succeed the Rallye series.
The name related to Tarbes, the French city where the SOCATA aeroplanes were manufactured in. However, that series of aircraft was quickly nicknamed ´Caribbean Planes´, due to their model names coming from various islands, located mostly in the Caribbean Sea.
On 23rd September 1977, the first prototype of TB aircraft performed its maiden flight. Shortly after, production of two first variants, designated TB-9 Tampico and TB-10 Tobago, began. All the aircraft of the TB family shared similar design of a conventional, single-engine, low-wing monoplane with four or five seats, equipped with analog flight and engine instruments.
The particular versions of the aeroplane differ from each other by engine (from 160 to 250 horsepower, turbocharged or not), landing gear (fixed or retractable) and propeller (three or four blades, fixed or variable pitch). A total of over twenty different aircraft types of the TB family was developed, including prototypes, limited editions and specialised training variants.
Production of the aircraft was continued until 2012, when it was ceased due to economic reasons. In the early 2000s, SOCATA suffered from worldwide crisis in aviation industry and, already in 2003, manufacturing of the TB series was significantly limited. The company tried to reduce costs by moving the production to Canada, Poland or Romania. However, negotiations on that matter failed and shortly after, the TB series was withdrawn from the manufacturer´s offer.
More than 2,000 examples of the aircraft from the TB family were manufactured, with the TB-10 and the TB-20 Trinidad being the most popular variants. Although being designed and developed as purely civilian aircraft, the TB series was also used by several air forces, law enforcement agencies or military pilot schools. The list of such operators includes the French, Israeli and Jordanian air forces, the Indonesian and Turkish navies, the Greek Coast Guard, the French Directorate General of Customs and Indirect Taxes, as well as the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology.
The TB-10 GT Tobago variant, featured within our Photo of the Week series, is an upgraded version of the standard TB-10. The aircraft is powered by 180 hp Lycoming O-360 piston engine and equipped with three-blade propeller and fixed tricycle undercarriage with fairings.
The aeroplane was built in 2001 and initially was operated by the Dutch Politie Luchtvaartdienst (Police Aviation Service), registered as PH-COP. In 2009, the aircraft was acquired by civilian owner, however keeping its original registration.
