Single-engine turboprop · operating costs
Daher TBM 960 Operating Costs and Cost per Hour
A Daher TBM 960 costs about $1,240 an hour to operate at 200 hours a year: $68,000 a year fixed plus $900 per flight hour, itemised with sources.
CRAFT estimate, fuel priced October 4, 2026
At a glance
- Per flight hour at 200 hrs a year
- $1,239
- Per year at 200 hrs
- $247,830
- Fixed costs / year
- $67,830
- Variable / flight hour
- $900
- Jet A, $437/hr today
- Fuel burn
- 57 gal/hr
- no pilot salary
- Crew assumed
- Owner-flown
CRAFT estimates in USD for a U.S.-based aircraft. How we estimate them is below; every line has its source.
What a Daher TBM 960 costs per hour
The Daher TBM 960 is a single-engine turboprop with 5 seats, burning 57 gallons of Jet A an hour. In our estimate it costs $900 for every hour it flies and $67,830 a year whether it flies or not. Spread over 200 hours a year, that is about $1,239 a flight hour; over 100 hours, $1,578; over 400, $1,070.
The estimate assumes the owner flies it, so there is no pilot salary in it. Hiring a pilot adds about $176,081 a year; the calculator below has a switch for that. The largest single cost at 200 hours is fuel cost, at $87,400 a year.
Daher TBM 960 cost calculator
Daher TBM 960 annual cost
$247,754 per year
$67,830 fixed + $900/hr × 200 hrs ($437/hr of it fuel: 57 gal at $7.66). About $1,239 per flight hour with the fixed costs spread over the hours. Daher TBM 960, CRAFT estimate.
Fixed costs
What the Daher TBM 960 costs a year before it flies an hour.
| Fixed costs | Per year | How it is worked out |
|---|---|---|
| Crew Salary | $0 | Owner-flown: no pilot salary. A hired pilot would add about $176,081 a year: $123,220, the BLS median, commercial pilots, plus 43% for benefits and payroll costs (BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, private industry, June 2026). Switch it on in the calculator.Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (released May 15, 2026); BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, June 2026 (released September 9, 2026) |
| Crew TrainingEstimate, $8,000 to $15,000 | $11,500 | Recurrent training for the pilot each year (a flight review or instrument proficiency check with an instructor, or a type course), $8,000 to $15,000 for a single-engine turboprop. CRAFT estimate. |
| HangarEstimate, $9,660 to $33,000 | $21,330 | From Concord-Padgett's turboprop hangar rate ($805 a month) to a TBM-size footprint (35 x 42 ft) at Naples' $1.85 a square foot ($2,750): $805 to $2,750 a month. Big-city airports cost more, a tie-down much less.Source: Published airport hangar and tie-down rates (Concord-Padgett Regional, City of Concord NC; Naples Airport Authority FY2026) (read October 15, 2026) |
| InsuranceEstimate, $16,000 to $33,000 | $24,500 | Liability of $1,000 to $3,000 a year plus hull cover at 0.6% to 1.2% of a hull value of $2,500,000, a typical value for single-engine turboprops, CRAFT estimate (no published price for this model). BWI's published guidance: hull at 0.6% to 1.2% of agreed value for turbine aircraft; turboprops typically $8,000 to $18,000 a year. Midpoints used; pilot experience moves it a lot.Source: BWI Aviation Insurance, "How much is aircraft insurance? A complete 2026 cost breakdown" (January 4, 2026) |
| Management | $0 | Owner-managed: no management company. The owner books maintenance and keeps the records. |
| Miscellaneous FixedEstimate, $6,000 to $15,000 | $10,500 | Navigation databases and charts, weather and flight planning, maintenance tracking and connectivity: $6,000 to $15,000 a year for a single-engine turboprop. CRAFT estimate. |
| Total | $67,830 |
Variable costs
What each flight hour adds. Fuel is priced at $7.66 a gallon; every dollar a gallon moves the hourly cost by $57.
| Variable costs | Per flight hour | How it is worked out |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel Cost | $437 | 57 gallons of Jet A an hour (Daher, TBM 960 product page and TBM Essential Guide (2024), Daher's recommended cruise setting: 57 U.S. gallons an hour at 308 kt, FL280) at $7.66 a gallon, our estimated U.S. average FBO price for Jet A on 2026-10-04.Source: Daher, TBM 960 product page and TBM Essential Guide (2024); CRAFT jet fuel price data |
| MaintenanceEstimate, $150 to $300 | $225 | Scheduled maintenance, parts, labor and unscheduled repairs for the airframe and avionics: $150 to $300 a flight hour for a single-engine turboprop. Older aircraft sit at the top of the range. CRAFT estimate. |
| Engine OverhaulEstimate, $100 to $180 | $140 | An hourly reserve for the next engine overhaul: $100 to $180 per engine per hour for a single-engine turboprop. No published overhaul price for this engine, so a CRAFT estimate. |
| Crew/Landing/Handling FeesEstimate, $40 to $100 | $70 | Landing, ramp and handling fees away from home: $40 to $100 a flight hour for a single-engine turboprop. CRAFT estimate. |
| Miscellaneous VariableEstimate, $15 to $40 | $28 | Oil, cleaning and de-icing: $15 to $40 a flight hour. CRAFT estimate. |
| Total | $900 |
Annual cost at 100, 200 and 400 hours
| Hours a year | 100 hours | 200 hours | 400 hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed costs | $67,830 | $67,830 | $67,830 |
| Variable costs | $90,000 | $180,000 | $360,000 |
| Total a year | $157,830 | $247,830 | $427,830 |
| Per flight hour | $1,578 | $1,239 | $1,070 |
Daher TBM 960 specs
- Class
- Single-engine turboprop
- Engines
- 1 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6E-66XT
- Fuel
- Jet A
- Fuel burn
- 57 gal/hr
- Seats
- 5
- Cruise
- 330 kts
- Range
- 1,730 nm
- Max takeoff weight
- 7,615 lb
Specs: Daher, Daher TBM 960 product page.
The Daher TBM 960 compared with similar aircraft
Same method, same fuel prices, at 200 hours a year.
| Aircraft | Per hour | Per year | Fuel burn |
|---|---|---|---|
Daher TBM 960Single-engine turboprop | $1,239 | $247,830 | 57 gal/hr |
 Cessna 208 CaravanUtility turboprop | $2,272 | $454,311 | 55.3 gal/hr |
How we estimate these costs
Every aircraft on our operating cost calculator is costed the same way: fixed costs a year plus a cost per flight hour, from public inputs. Crew pay comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, hangar rates from published airport schedules, insurance from a broker's published guidance, fuel from our fuel price data, and the fuel burn from Daher. Lines marked “estimate” are the midpoint of a stated range for single-engine turboprops, not a quote. Nothing here comes from another cost calculator or a broker's budgets.
- Not included: the purchase price, financing, depreciation, sales tax, upgrades and paint or interior work, and any rental or charter income.
- What moves it most: hours flown (fixed costs spread thinner), the fuel price, where it is hangared, the pilot's experience (insurance) and the aircraft's age (maintenance).
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Frequently asked questions
How much does a Daher TBM 960 cost per hour?
About $1,240 a flight hour flown 200 hours a year, in CRAFT's estimate: $900 an hour in direct costs (fuel, maintenance, engine and parts reserves, fees) plus $67,830 a year in fixed costs spread over the hours. Flown 100 hours it is about $1,580 an hour; flown 400, about $1,070. That assumes the owner flies it, with no pilot salary.
How much does it cost to own a Daher TBM 960 for a year?
About $248,000 a year flown 200 hours: $67,830 in fixed costs (crew training, hangar, insurance, miscellaneous fixed) and $180,000 in hourly costs. The purchase price, financing and depreciation are not included.
How much fuel does a Daher TBM 960 burn?
57 gallons of Jet A an hour (Daher, TBM 960 product page and TBM Essential Guide (2024)). At $7.66 a gallon, the estimated U.S. average FBO price for Jet A on October 4, 2026, that is $437 a flight hour. Every dollar a gallon moves it by $57.
Does the Daher TBM 960 estimate include a pilot?
No. Most single-engine turboprops are flown by their owners, so the crew line is $0. Hiring a pilot adds about $176,000 a year with benefits, from BLS pay data; the calculator on this page has a switch for it.
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