How many SOCATA TB aircraft were built?

More than 1,900 TB-family airframes were built between 1979 and 2010, comprising over 470 Tampicos, over 725 Tobagos, and roughly 680 Trinidad and Trinidad TCs together. The TB-10 Tobago is the highest-volume variant. Some sources cite over 2,000 airframes once the Tobago GT and Tobago XL sub-variants are included.

What is the difference between a SOCATA Tampico, Tobago, and Trinidad?

All three share the same gull-wing-door airframe and four-seat cabin but differ in engine and gear. Tampico (TB-9) has a 160 hp Lycoming O-320 and fixed gear; Tobago (TB-10) has a 180 hp Lycoming O-360 and fixed gear; Tobago XL (TB-200) has a 200 hp fuel-injected IO-360 and fixed gear; Trinidad (TB-20) has a 250 hp Lycoming IO-540 with retractable gear and constant-speed propeller; Trinidad TC (TB-21) adds turbocharging to the Trinidad.

Is the SOCATA Trinidad a complex aircraft?

Yes. The Trinidad (TB-20) and Trinidad TC (TB-21) have retractable tricycle gear, a constant-speed propeller, and 250 hp — well above the 200 hp high-performance threshold. Both meet the FAR 61.31 definition of a complex aircraft and qualify as high-performance, so a school can issue both endorsements on the same airframe.

Is SOCATA still building the TB family?

No. Production ended in 2010 after a multi-year wind-down at the Tarbes factory under what was by then Daher-Socata ownership. Daher continues factory support for the family but no new airframes are being built. The current Daher line-up focuses on the TBM single-engine turboprop and the Kodiak.

Who flies SOCATA TB aircraft in Europe?

The TB family is a backbone training and personal-touring airframe at French aéroclubs and EASA DTOs / ATOs across France, the Netherlands, Germany, and the UK. The TB-9 Tampico and TB-10 Tobago anchor most club fleets alongside the Robin DR400; the TB-20 Trinidad sits more often in private-owner hands for cross-country touring.

SOCATA (now Daher)

TB-9 Tampico / TB-10 Tobago / TB-20 Trinidad

Single-engine piston · Trainer and personal aircraft · 1980s–1990s

discontinued

Photo: Pedro Aragão via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

Power: 180 hp
Cruise: 130 kt
MTOW: 2,535 lb
Range: 670 nm
Fuel: 100LL avgas

🇺🇸Specs shown in Imperial.

Performance

Cruise speed (Vc)130 kt
Never-exceed speed (Vne)173 kt
Stall (landing config) (Vs0)60 kt
Climb rate790 fpm
Service ceiling13,000 ft
Range670 nm
Endurance5 h
Takeoff roll1,410 ft
Landing roll1,380 ft

Weights

MTOW2,535 lb
Empty weight1,665 lb
Useful load870 lb
Baggage capacity143 lb

Dimensions

Wingspan32.1 ft
Length25.4 ft
Height9.5 ft
Cabin width50 in

Powerplant

EngineLycoming O-360-A1AD — 180 hp · 100LL · 9.5 gph
Total horsepower180 hp
Primary fuel100LL avgas
Unleaded pathG100UL eligible (STC available)

Cockpit & avionics

Cockpit typeanalog
Autopilot commonly availableYes
Typical packages
- Six-pack analog with KX-155 / KAP-140— 1979–2003 factory standard
- Garmin GNS 530 / 430 + analog primary— 2000s factory retrofit
- Garmin G500 / Aspen Evolution retrofit— modern retrofit on legacy airframes
Training note
Most TB-family airframes carry analog primary instruments with a Garmin GNS 430 / 530 navigator added in the 2000s. Schools using the type for IFR training typically pair the legacy avionics with a modern panel retrofit such as a Garmin G500 TXi or Aspen Evolution; new-build glass panels are not factory-available for the type since production ended in 2010.

Certification

RegulatoryEASA CS-23 · FAR Part 23
Certified rolesNormal category · Utility category (within reduced weight envelope, variant-dependent)
IFRYes
Spin approvedNo
Aerobatic-categoryNo
TailwheelNo
Complex (FAR 61.31)Yes
High-performance (FAR 61.31)Yes

Why is the TB-9 Tampico / TB-10 Tobago / TB-20 Trinidad popular?

Structured popularity-driver evidence. Each axis below carries one factual statement; we don't grade, the facts speak.

Production volume

Over 1,900 TB-family airframes were built between 1979 and 2010 — over 470 Tampicos, over 725 Tobagos, and roughly 680 Trinidad / Trinidad TCs. The TB-10 Tobago is the highest-volume variant and the most common training airframe in the family.

Industry network effects

Backbone trainer alongside the Robin DR400 at French aéroclubs. The shared gull-wing-door design, the conventional Lycoming powerplant family (O-320, O-360, IO-540), and a long-established European parts network kept the type in continuous fleet use across the EASA training landscape for three decades.

Regulatory fit

Step-ladder by variant: Tampico (160 hp fixed) and Tobago (180 hp fixed) cover ab-initio and IFR ratings; Tobago XL (200 hp fixed) and Trinidad / TC (250 hp retract / constant-speed) cover the FAR 61.31 high-performance and complex endorsements on a single airframe family.

Parts and MRO ecosystem

Manufacturer support transitioned from SOCATA to Daher when SOCATA was absorbed; an active EASA parts network and the type-club community continue to support the airframe family. Engines are mainstream Lycoming O-320 / O-360 / IO-540 / TIO-540 — supported by the broad Lycoming aftermarket.

Fuel future-proofing

All TB-family engines (Lycoming O-320, O-360, IO-360, IO-540, TIO-540) are part of the Lycoming line that is being progressively cleared for G100UL under the FAA EAGLE programme. Operators should track variant-specific G100UL STC eligibility for fleet-modernisation planning.

Before you buy more aircraft

The next airframe is rarely the highest-leverage move.

Flight school revenue is a function of three things — utilisation, dispatch reliability, and student progression — that multiply rather than add. Most schools running below 850 hours per aircraft per year have hidden capacity worth more than the next purchase, already paid for and sitting on the ramp.

Read: Why buying more aircraft probably won't grow your school

Operations

Record hours, no profit

Where margin actually leaks when the schedule looks full.

Strategy

The three hurdles to profitability

The structural barriers most expansion plans miss.

How flight schools track this aircraft in Aviatize

Aéroclubs and DTOs operating TB-family airframes typically configure each one in Aviatize as a single airframe with the Lycoming engine modelled as a child component for TBO and overhaul-reserve tracking. The Trinidad and Trinidad TC additionally require a constant-speed-propeller sub-component and gear-retract cycle tracking against the manufacturer schedule. Pilot-currency rules should gate the Trinidad / Trinidad TC on the FAR 61.31 complex and high-performance endorsements.

schedulingtraining managementaircraft maintenancebilling

Editorial confidence

Medium confidenceLast reviewed 2026-05-26

Variant timeline, engine specifications, and production-end year are well-attributed to the type-club and aggregated Wikipedia source. Specific production sub-totals vary across sources between 'over 1,900' and 'over 2,000'; specific cruise / fuel-burn / weight figures are POH-typical bands.

Sources

Primary sources are POH / TCDS / manufacturer pages; derived sources record where Aviatize editorial synthesis is layered on top.

Primary sourceManufacturer brief·Retrieved 2026-05-26
Daher (parent of former SOCATA)
https://www.daher.com/
Daher corporate site. Verified on 2026-05-26: Daher absorbed SOCATA in 2009; the current Daher product line is the TBM single-engine turboprop and the Kodiak utility turboprop. The TB family is no longer in active marketing, but Daher remains the TC-holder and continues legacy type support.
Secondary sourceAviatize-internal·Retrieved 2026-05-14
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SOCATA_TB_family
Wikipedia article aggregating the SOCATA TB family production history, variant timeline, and operational context.
Editorial synthesisAviatize-internal·Retrieved 2026-05-14
Aviatize editorial
Entry authored by Aviatize from accumulated industry knowledge cross-referenced against the primary sources cited above. Operator lists are intentionally empty rather than speculative.

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Power: 280hp
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Photos & credits: each thumbnail opens that aircraft’s page, where the photographer and licence are credited under the hero image.

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