Would like to report on my first long range trip with the TBM. Cairo HECA to Krakow EPKK, 1370NM in 5h40m. Landed with 60 gallons, which is an hour of flying (or 1,5h at altitude).
The other way it was with a tailwind and took 4h44m.
For me this is maximum practical range. Any more and I would get nervous. Maybe in perfect weather conditions it could be more, but this time they were not.
Theoretical zero fuel is 1930NM at ISA conditions.
Very interesting – thanks for posting that Loco.
I recall looking at a TBM700 C2 some years ago and the zero fuel range was some 1800nm which was roughly Shoreham to Cairo 
About 350 miles plus a 45 minute reserve.
The aircraft up to a few years ago had relatively small fuselage tank, good for about 90 minutes of flying plus reserve (meaning somewhere like Crossland Moor near Huddersfield was about the limit of my range). I now also have an aux tank which carries another 2 hours of fuel.
I did 1740nm in the Aztec and landed with 4 hours reserve. But I did have a 600 litre Turtlepac in the back.
Wish I could put one in the TBM, but I was told there’s no way to do it on EASA reg.
I am sure many EASA-reg planes have had ferry tanks installed, for a ferry flight.
A permanent (certified) installation is probably practically impossible, although there are plenty of people flying routinely with ferry tanks of various types, mainly outside what we call Europe. I have known a few…
I did it myself and took it out afterwards.
There’s no such thing as a standard Maule, but with an O-360 and “go faster” 22" diameter Goodyears it should be about 900 nm to fumes. With 31" ABW tyres, it’s about 10% less.
I think that’s about typical for a bushplane.
Of course, the point is not to fly for 900 nm non-stop, piddling en-route like a glider pilot, but rather to carry spare fuel and gear for friends who have proper STOL planes.
I don’t think carrying cans of avgas in the plane is the legal issue. I would be surprised if the usual airline regs for carrying stuff really apply to GA – even if some people will read them as thus. In the US, people routinely carry guns (for hunting, mainly, but also they can anyway if they have a permit). All over the world people use GA for all kinds of utility work, carrying tools, animals, you name it.
That’s of course provided you are within the loading envelope. Many ferry tank jobs are loaded outside that, which AIUI is one reason why you need a permit. The other is the mod to the fuel system.
I know one pilot, southern Europe, who routinely flies his SEP loaded to the roof with plastic cans of avgas. He showed it to me once. That’s the next best thing to a ferry tank. You just need to land somewhere… I have no idea whether he is legally loaded… flying alone, he might be.
The legal issue is the connection to the fuel system. The ferry tank thread is here.
