Socata TB-20 Trinidad

Overview

The Socata TB-20 Trinidad is a five-seat, low-wing, retractable-gear single built in France by Socata (now part of Daher) from the early 1980s into the 2000s. Powered by a 250 hp fuel-injected Lycoming IO-540-C4D5D, it was designed as a fast, comfortable cross-country tourer and a stable IFR platform, and it remains one of the roomier piston singles in its class. A wide cabin, about 50 inches across, and large upward-opening doors give it a distinctly car-like feel that owners consistently single out.

The Trinidad sits at the top of Socata’s TB family. Below it are the fixed-gear TB-9 Tampico and TB-10 Tobago; above it, the turbocharged TB-21 Trinidad TC. Around 2000 the line was updated as the TB-20 GT, which added a carbon-fiber cockpit roof for more headroom and a refreshed panel while keeping the same airframe, engine, and performance envelope. This record represents the late-production normally aspirated TB-20.

Key Features for GA Buyers

Cabin and comfort. The 50-inch-wide cabin and large upward-opening doors make loading easy and give front-seat occupants generous shoulder room. The interior was deliberately styled like a touring car, and the TB-20 has carried that reputation among owners who fly longer legs.

Cross-country cruise. With the 250 hp IO-540, the Trinidad cruises around 160 KTAS at 75 percent power, with book figures reaching 163 KTAS, on roughly 14 gallons per hour. A 20,000 ft service ceiling and a range near 1,100 nm let it cover long legs comfortably, trading cabin payload for fuel as the mission requires.

Retractable gear and a constant-speed prop. The TB-20 is a high-performance, complex single requiring both endorsements. Its main landing gear has a good reputation for smoothing out arrivals.

IFR platform. A stable ride, predictable handling, and a well-equipped panel on later examples make the Trinidad a sensible single-pilot IFR airplane.

Trade-offs

• Parts and support. As a French-built type with a smaller US fleet, some airframe-specific parts can be slower and costlier to source than for comparable Cessna, Piper, or Beechcraft singles. A shop familiar with the type is worth seeking out.
• Useful load varies by year. Published useful load runs from about 1,320 lb on early, lightly equipped airframes down to roughly 1,090 lb on late, fully equipped GT models like this one. With 86 gallons of usable fuel, about 516 lb, a full-fuel example leaves around 575 lb for occupants and bags, so the five seats are best understood as four adults with a fuel stop or two adults plus full tanks. Check the weight-and-balance of the specific aircraft.
• No turbocharging or pressurization. The normally aspirated TB-20 gives up high-altitude cruise and weather-topping capability to the turbocharged TB-21; buyers who routinely need the flight levels should weigh that variant.
• Engine reserve. The IO-540-C4D5D carries a 2,000-hour TBO, with field overhauls in the $45,000 to $50,000 range at current shop rates. Budget the reserve from the first flight hour.

See Also

• Socata TB-10 Tobago – the fixed-gear, lower-powered sibling in the same TB family; simpler and cheaper to run, slower and less capable on long legs. Compare
• Beechcraft Bonanza A36 – the benchmark six-seat low-wing retractable; more cabin and payload at a higher purchase and maintenance cost. Compare
• Mooney M20R Ovation – a faster, more efficient retractable single; tighter cabin on a similar cross-country mission. Compare
• Cessna Skylane RG – a comparable retractable Lycoming single; higher wing and a simpler reputation at similar speed and load. Compare
• Cessna 210 Centurion – a larger six-seat retractable single with more payload and cabin, faster-climbing and roomier, and costlier to maintain. Compare