01
Smooth, tight, fighter-like
Control feel is smooth and tight without much friction; testers found beautiful handling that flew like a fighter, with rudder and aileron authority still crisp at FL280 — "a six-place P-51".
Aircraft library
Daher TBM 930
Photo: Michael Mainiero, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons · TBM 900 pictured
Daher TBM 930
Smooth, tight, fighter-like: light at rotation, firm at the 205 kt reference, brisk spoiler-augmented roll, and a vigorous stick shaker — no pusher.
TurbopropTBM9Cable/pushrod controlsStarter v2 · 2026-07-25
Know the plane
- Powerplant
- Pratt & Whitney PT6A-66D, 850 shp
- Seats
- 6
- Max takeoff weight
- 7,394 lb (3,354 kg)
- Wingspan
- 42 ft 1 in (12.83 m)
- Length
- 35 ft 2 in (10.72 m)
- Max operating (Vmo)
- 266 KIAS
- Stall, landing config (Vs0)
- ≈65 KCAS
- Max cruise
- 330 KTAS
- Service ceiling
- 31,000 ft
- Range
- 1,730 nm
- Usable fuel
- 291 US gal
- Pressurization
- 6.2 psi differential
Sources: Daher TBM 930 POH; EASA TCDS A.010; Daher published data.
The TBM 930 is the fast single: an 850 shp turboprop that cruises at jet-lite speeds, flown by one pilot, owner or pro, often in weather. It compresses a light jet's mission into one PT6 and half the operating cost, and it expects its pilot to stay ahead of 330 knots of momentum.
For a simmer the TBM is the step-up machine. The controls stay manual, so the loads are real and grow with the speed range; the profile's job is the widening gap between pattern-speed lightness and high-cruise firmness, plus turbine smoothness where a piston would buzz.
A little history
The TBM line began as a joint venture between Socata of France and Mooney of Texas, with the TBM 700 of 1990 proving a pressurized single turboprop could do real transport work. Successive stretches of power and systems led through the 850 to today's 900 series airframe.
The 930 of 2016 paired the aerodynamically refined 900 airframe with the Garmin G3000 touch flight deck. Daher, the family-owned French group that absorbed Socata, still builds its successors in Tarbes; the 930 modeled here represents the line at its G3000 debut.
What the real one feels like
Each finding pairs our reading with the evidence it rests on. Fly the type and read something wrong? Every claim links straight to the corrections form.
Fly the type? Correct this claim
02
Roll is spoiler-augmented and brisk
Short ailerons plus roll spoilers give a seamless interface and better than 60–70°/s of roll at full yoke. Roll should never feel heavy.
03
Light yoke forces at rotation
Rotation at 85 kt takes light yoke forces — "a tug on the yoke sent the aircraft skyward" — while cruise at the 205 kt reference is firm and rock stable.
04
Trim is the workload, especially rudder
Trim — especially rudder trim against turbine torque — is the constant companion; electric pitch and rudder trim live on the yoke horn.
05
Stall: a vigorous shaker — and no pusher
The stall sequence runs "AIRSPEED", then "STALL, STALL", then a vigorous stick shaker that testers mistook for a pusher — Daher confirms it is a shaker only. The airframe itself gives plenty of buffet and no wing-drop tendency.
Published speeds
| Gate | Knots | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| VsoStall, landing configuration | 65 | Published type norm; the PIM stall table varies with weightRepresentative |
| VrRotation | 90 | TBM 930 Pilot Information Manual (DMJPIPYEE0) |
| VyBest rate of climb | 124 | TBM 930 Pilot Information Manual (DMJPIPYEE0) |
| VappApproach | 85 | Representative |
How the profile models it
Starter JSON · v2The complete starter profile, in the same order and with the same names as the desktop Tuning page. Highlighted rows cite evidence. Hover a row to see its profile-JSON path.
Master gain & control system
Master gain
85%
The final overall output scale applied to everything the model produces, before the device cap.
▲ More: everything (spring, loads, effects) gets stronger together. ▼ Less: everything softens together.
Why here: Class default 85%.
Forces
Spring strength
86%
The base centring force that pulls the stick back to centre. Every other force stacks on it. Too low and the stick feels limp in normal flight; too high and it fights your hand and masks the smaller cues layered above it.
▲ More: firmer centring that resists your hand at all times. ▼ Less: a limper stick that leans on aerodynamic load alone.
Why here: 86%: a heavier, more planted centre than the trainers. A TBM yoke carries authority at rest.
Spring deadband
4%
A small neutral zone around centre where the spring stays quiet, so tiny movements at rest don't chatter. Wider is calmer but looser; narrower is more precise but can twitch around centre.
▲ More: a calmer but looser centre with more free play. ▼ Less: a tighter centre that may chatter at rest.
Why here: Standard small neutral zone.
Low-speed spring floor
55%
How much of the spring survives at a standstill, before airspeed can build any aerodynamic force. A high floor keeps the parked stick firm; a low floor gives the loose, cable-slack feel of a parked light aircraft.
▲ More: a firmer stick while parked and taxiing. ▼ Less: a floppier parked stick that only wakes up with airspeed.
Why here: 55%: the parked yoke is firmer than a trainer's; the control runs are substantial.
QBlend enabled on · QSpring start knots 20 · QSpring full knots 90
Elevator load
100%
The sustained pitch load from elevator deflection and airspeed, balanced independently of roll. This is the main lever behind a type's pitch weight. It does not touch aileron, spring, trim, or buffet forces.
▲ More: heavier sustained pitch forces at speed. ▼ Less: a lighter elevator that takes less muscle to hold.
Why here: Pitch is the reference at 100%.
Aileron load
85%
The sustained roll load from aileron deflection and airspeed, balanced independently of pitch. Together with the elevator load it sets the control-harmony ratio reviewers talk about.
▲ More: heavier roll forces. ▼ Less: lighter, quicker-feeling ailerons.
Brisk spoiler-augmented roll; no source shows heavy ailerons.
Overall aerodynamic load
70%
A master scale over both sustained axis loads, applied before their independent balance. Profiles normally leave this alone and tune the two axis loads instead.
▲ More: both axes load up harder. ▼ Less: both axes lighten together.
Why here: 70%: with the reference set that high, the absolute loads at speed are already substantial.
Cruise reference (kt)
205
The indicated airspeed where aerodynamic load reaches its designed full level. It anchors the whole load curve to the aircraft's real speed range: a 172 loads up by 110 knots, a jet much later.
▲ More: loads arrive later; the stick stays light up to a higher speed. ▼ Less: loads arrive earlier and cruise feels heavier.
Why here: 205 kt indicated: what 330 KTAS in the flight levels actually reads on the tape. The load curve anchors to indicated reality.
Airspeed curve
2.0
How sharply stick load builds with airspeed. 1.0 is linear; about 2.0 matches real aerodynamics, where dynamic pressure grows with the square of speed, so controls are much lighter slow and firm up fast. Felt when holding the stick off centre, not at rest.
▲ More: lighter at low speed with a steeper rise toward cruise. ▼ Less: a more linear build that loads up earlier.
Manual cable/pushrod controls with the class q-law: light at rotation, firm at the 205 kt reference.
because:Light yoke forces at rotation
Centre firmness vs speed
12%
How much the centring itself stiffens with speed, on top of the deflection loads. Zero keeps centre feel constant; more makes the stick centre harder at cruise and looser in the pattern.
▲ More: a centre that hardens noticeably as you go faster. ▼ Less: constant centre feel at every speed.
The spring keeps firming above 90 kt instead of flat-lining.
because:Light yoke forces at rotation
Spring airspeed stiffen cap 5
Max output force
60%
A cap on each steady pitch or roll force before it reaches the device, guarding against slamming or saturating the hardware in strong maneuvers.
▲ More: stronger peak steady forces before clipping. ▼ Less: a gentler ceiling; hard maneuvers flatten out sooner.
Why here: 60%: more force ceiling than the trainers. A fast single is allowed to push back.
Hydraulic load factor
60%
For hydraulically-boosted or fly-by-wire types: how much of the raw aerodynamic load actually reaches the pilot's hand. 1.0 is a fully manual control run; lower values model the artificial-feel systems that isolate the pilot from true surface loads.
▲ More: more raw aerodynamic load reaching your hand. ▼ Less: more isolation, closer to pure artificial feel.
Why here: Inert for a manual control run.
Trim
Elevator strength
30%
How strongly elevator trim relieves held pitch force and shifts where the stick settles. At 100%, a properly trimmed aircraft needs no held pressure, the trim-away-the-load workflow of real flying.
▲ More: trim removes more of the held pitch force; at 100% full trim zeroes it. ▼ Less: you keep holding force even when trimmed.
Why here: 30%: electric trim eases the wide speed-trim changes but the pilot flies through them, as the type demands.
Trim feel enabled on · Elevator authority 0.55 · Trim relief enabled on
Aileron strength
12%
The same relief for roll trim. Most GA types have no real aileron trim, so this stays at zero; types with roll trim get a matching value.
▲ More: roll trim removes more held roll force. ▼ Less: roll trim does less.
Why here: 12%: the TBM carries roll trim, so a little relief is honest.
Aileron authority 0.25
Stick feel
G-load gain
20%
Extra spring stiffness as positive G rises above 1G: the pull-up loads your arm as well as the wing. Too little and steep turns feel weightless; too much and maneuvering becomes tiring.
▲ More: pull-ups and steep turns stiffen the stick more per g. ▼ Less: g has less effect; maneuvering stays light.
Why here: 20%: the strongest G response outside the warbird. Maneuvering a 7,400 lb single at speed loads your arm.
GLoad enabled on · Min factor 0.22 · Max factor 1.18
Deadband low-speed widening
7%
Extra centre deadband added at parked and taxi speeds, narrowing away as airflow builds. It keeps the stick calm on the ramp without costing precision in flight.
▲ More: a calmer, looser stick on the ground. ▼ Less: ground handling as precise as flight, and as twitchy.
Why here: Standard ramp calm.
Dynamic deadband enabled on · Full speed ref knots 90
Control-edge trigger
86%
How far through the travel the edge-of-throw spring boost begins. High values leave most of the range linear and put a firm wall only near full deflection.
▲ More: the end-of-travel wall starts later, leaving more linear throw. ▼ Less: the wall begins earlier in the travel.
Why here: Wall from 86% travel.
Control edge enabled on
Control-edge gain
25%
How strong that edge-of-travel boost is once triggered: a soft warning versus a hard stop near full throw.
▲ More: a harder stop near full deflection. ▼ Less: a softer edge you can push through.
Why here: 25%: firmer stops than a trainer; you should not be near full throw at TBM speeds.
Effect gains · Ground
Runway rumble
36%
Rolling surface vibration from wheel speed and surface type: pavement, grass, or gravel under the gear.
▲ More: louder surface texture through the stick. ▼ Less: a smoother taxi.
Why here: 36%: trailing-link gear smooths the roll. The TBM taxis more quietly than its speed suggests.
Enabled on · Min speed kt 3 · Full speed kt 90 · Surface scaling enabled on · Undercarriage 0
Gear bumps
26%
Short discrete bumps from expansion joints, ruts, and rough surface, punctuating the continuous rumble.
▲ More: sharper hits from joints and ruts. ▼ Less: softer ground detail.
Why here: Moderate.
Start speed kt 12 · Full speed kt 65
Brake shudder
38%
Vibration under brake pressure while rolling. Invisible braking feels wrong; too much makes every stop feel like an anti-skid event.
▲ More: more shudder under braking. ▼ Less: quieter stops.
Why here: 38%: powerful brakes on a heavy single give clear feedback.
Min speed kt 4 · Full speed kt 40 · Brake deadband 0.06
Nosewheel shimmy
22%
The rapid side-to-side wobble through the roll axis at taxi-rotation speeds, the classic worn-nosegear shimmy this type is or isn't known for.
▲ More: a livelier shimmy on the rollout. ▼ Less: a calmer nosewheel.
Why here: Present at 22%: fast singles are not immune, but there is no 172-style reputation to honor.
Min speed kt 25 · Full speed kt 70
Ground accel
22%
The fore-aft pull on the pitch axis from acceleration on the ground. The takeoff surge draws the column aft; braking pushes it forward.
▲ More: a stronger fore-aft pull under acceleration and braking. ▼ Less: a subtler surge cue.
Why here: 22%: 850 shp of takeoff surge deserves a real cue.
Deadband g 0.03
Effect gains · Airframe
Stall buffet
30%
Airframe shake approaching the stall and while the stall warning is active: how loudly this wing announces it is unhappy. Types with a crisp break get modest buffet and let the horn carry the warning.
▲ More: a louder pre-stall shake. ▼ Less: a quieter wing; the horn carries the warning.
The real aerodynamic burble supplements the shaker rather than competing with it.
Enabled on
Overspeed buffet
58%
Airframe shake past the overspeed warning, the airframe's own protest at exceeding Vne/VMO.
▲ More: a harsher protest past the redline. ▼ Less: a gentler overspeed warning.
Why here: 58%: Vmo overspeed in a TBM is serious, and the airframe protest is set accordingly.
Mach buffet
20%
Transonic buffet approaching the Mach limit. Meaningful for jets near MMO, zero for pistons and turboprops that never get there.
▲ More: stronger transonic buffet near the Mach limit. ▼ Less: a smoother high-Mach ride.
Why here: A token 20%: the TBM brushes Mach effects only at the very top of the envelope.
Min mach 0.55 · Full mach 0.64
Flap buffet
32%
Low-frequency airframe vibration with flaps extended into the airflow, in the speed window where they actually work the air.
▲ More: a rougher ride with flaps working the air. ▼ Less: smoother approach flap.
Why here: Big Fowler flaps working at approach speed.
Max flap index 2 · Min flap index 1 · Min speed kt 85 · Full speed kt 122
Gear buffet
22%
Airframe drumming from retractable gear hanging in the airstream. Zero for fixed-gear types, where the airframe never changes shape.
▲ More: more drumming with the wheels hanging out. ▼ Less: cleaner gear-down flight.
Why here: 22%: gear hanging in a 178 kt slipstream drums.
Min speed kt 90 · Full speed kt 178
Stick shaker
70%
The dedicated stall stick-shaker buzz, fired by the aircraft's own stall-warning system. Only types with a real shaker get a value; everything else relies on aerodynamic buffet and the horn.
▲ More: a harder stick-shaker buzz. ▼ Less: a subtler shaker.
"Vigorous … felt like a stick pusher" — the old 0.5 undersold the documented cue.
Shaker enabled on
Effect gains · Engine, mechanical & drag
Turbulence
38%
Random shake from short-term G variation in rough air, so bumpy air is felt and not just seen.
▲ More: rough air hits the stick harder. ▼ Less: calmer chop.
Why here: 38%: higher wing loading than the trainers; it cuts through chop rather than riding it.
Min stddev 0.02 · Full stddev 0.26 · Ambient gain 0.7 · Turbulence window samples 20
Reverse rumble
36%
Rollout vibration while reverse thrust or beta-range props are working. Zero for types without reverse.
▲ More: a rougher rollout under reverse. ▼ Less: quieter reverse.
Why here: 36%: beta and reverse on landing rollout is standard TBM technique and gets its own texture.
Min speed kt 25 · Full speed kt 95
Engine rumble
14%
Continuous powerplant vibration following RPM between idle and full power, the ever-present reminder that something is burning fuel up front.
▲ More: more engine through the stick. ▼ Less: a quieter powerplant.
Why here: 14%: a PT6 hums rather than shakes. The near-silence through the controls IS the turbine signature.
Enabled on · Idle rpm pct 0.3 · Full rpm pct 1
Touchdown thump
72%
The one-shot kick when the wheels meet the runway, scaled by sink rate: a greaser whispers, a firm arrival thumps.
▲ More: a harder kick at touchdown. ▼ Less: softer arrivals.
Why here: 72%: a 7,400 lb arrival registers with authority.
Reference sink fps 7 · Min sink fps 1
Gear deploy
48%
The short shudder of gear extension and retraction in motion. Zero for fixed-gear types.
▲ More: a stronger shudder while the gear cycles. ▼ Less: a subtler gear cue.
Why here: 48%: three big gear legs in transit are unmistakable in the real aircraft.
Flap movement
16%
Continuous vibration only while the sim reports the flap surfaces actually travelling. It follows real actuator motion and failures, not an estimated timer.
▲ More: more vibration while the flap surfaces travel. ▼ Less: quieter flap runs.
Why here: Felt while the surfaces run.
Minimum position delta 0.001 · Packet hold seconds 0.12 · Arrival settle seconds 0.25
Flap arrival
18%
The small airframe settle when flap-surface travel completes, driven by the surface arriving, not the handle command.
▲ More: a firmer settle as flaps reach the notch. ▼ Less: a softer arrival.
Why here: A firm settle per stage.
Flap step
34%
The short mechanical click on each flap-handle detent. The handle, not the surfaces.
▲ More: a sharper detent click. ▼ Less: a fainter click.
Why here: Distinct detents.
Enabled on
Flap drag
12%
The sustained pitch-force change from flap drag at airspeed. Extending flaps should change what your hand holds, not just make noise.
▲ More: a bigger stick-load change when the flaps come out. ▼ Less: less trim shift from flap.
Why here: Modest: flap trim changes are well mannered on the type.
Enabled on · Max flap index 2 · Min knots 70 · Full knots 122
Gear drag
7%
The trim-like load change from gear hanging in the airflow. Zero for fixed-gear types.
▲ More: a bigger load change from the gear. ▼ Less: less.
Why here: Slight pitch rebalance with the gear out.
Min knots 90 · Full knots 178
Propwash pitch
20%
Power-on pitch bias from propwash over the elevator: why adding power on a prop aircraft nudges the nose and the stick. Zero for jets.
▲ More: a stronger power-on pitch nudge. ▼ Less: power changes feel more neutral.
Why here: 20%: the five-blade prop washes the tail; power changes nudge pitch noticeably at approach power.
Min rpm 0.3 · Washout knots 140
Rate damping
Pitch gain
8%
Resistance proportional to the aircraft's pitch rotation rate. It settles the stick after abrupt pitch inputs; zero on both axes turns rate damping off.
▲ More: the stick settles harder against pitch rotation. ▼ Less: less resistance to quick pitch changes.
Why here: 8%: more damping than the trainers. Heavy controls settle rather than bounce.
Rate damping enabled on · Max force 0.22
Roll gain
6%
The roll-axis counterpart: damping against roll rate to stop post-input wobble.
▲ More: more resistance to roll rate. ▼ Less: a livelier roll axis.
Why here: Matching roll settle.
Autopilot follow
Authority
10%
How far autopilot commands may physically move the stick. Kept tiny in MSFS, where a moved axis can read back as pilot input; zero disables following entirely.
▲ More: the autopilot visibly moves your stick further. ▼ Less: a barely perceptible follow.
Why here: Tiny follow for the GFC-integrated autopilot.
Follow enabled on
Strength
20%
How firmly the stick holds the autopilot's commanded position while following is active.
▲ More: a firmer hold on the AP's commanded position. ▼ Less: softer, easy to override.
Why here: Enough hold to feel it fly.
Starter history
Version 22026-07-25
Research retune: class q-law, brisk roll harmony, shaker raised to the documented vigorous cue. Also corrected the profile's own comment — the type has no stick pusher.
Version 12026-05-30
Initial starter baseline.
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Help wanted
What the research could not pin down. If you fly the type, or can point at a source, a correction on any of these feeds the next revision directly.
No stick-force-per-g or yoke-force measurements are published for the type; absolute magnitudes are bench-set.
Steep-turn force data absent — the type has a 60° bank limit and ESP intervenes past 45°.
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