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Old 21st Aug 2009, 20:22
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IO540
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
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Socata Rallye - I would consider the support for this type of aircraft. I think you'll find it difficult to obtain spares and design authority support from SOCATA (I believe).
Do you have a reference?

Socata is alive and well and selling about 60 TBMs a year - that is about $200M a year. More than the combined "GA" revenue of most names in GA. They support the TB piston range (mfg stopped 2002) and I gather they fully support the Rallye range (mfg stopped in the 1980s) with parts.

If Socata lost the TBM sales then it would become yet another largely parts-only operation - like Mooney, piston Piper, and a few others. But I don't see this happening; they have very little competition, and little prospect of any, especially as Epic has just folded.

But in this case I would walk away. If one is going to buy a total knackered dog, one is better buying a dog of a PA28 or a dog of a Cessna, because parts for those are a bit cheaper (especially removed from other wreckage) and one is going to need a lot of parts The engine will be totally sh*gged and will need an overhaul before anybody should take a risk on getting airborne with it
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