This discussion is only from an academic standpoint. Both the J41 and the Brasilia are very nice planes and I like them both. Although I am not at all familiar with the J41.I was wondering what are the differences between the J41 and the Embraer 120 Brasilia. Are they essentially very similar in mechanics, power plant, electronics, panel configuration, etc? Or do they differ in significant ways?I look forward to the J41. Although MY Christmas will be the day PMDG releases the Dash 8 (hopefully a Q400)! :-)Gianluca

There are approximately twice as many Brasilias in service as there are Jetstreams, (200 versus 100). Of those, last year there were 64 of the Embraers in storage worldwide, with 19 Jetstreams in storage for the same period, which means about a third of Embraers were stored, while less than a fifth of Jetstreams were.So far this year, there are 66 of the Embraers in storage and 16 Jetstreams under the covers. (source for this info is Ascend Online Fleets - see current edition of Airliner World for expanded info on this).Ordinarily, such stats would be of nothing more than casual interest, but when we are currently in an economic climate where airlines are deferring deliveries of new types on order and downsizing fleets, they can pick and choose from the leasing companies as far as types go. So it would seem to indicate that the BAe is favoured with operators when they have a choice, since there is little to choose as far as capability goes.There could be a few reasons for this, but since the stats would indeed seem to indicate the Jetstream is a more popular aircraft as far as leasing goes, I'll take a stab at why: My guesses would be that logistical support for the two types differs, but it may also be one simply has a better marketing push behind it, which could indeed be the case since BAe no longer make the aircraft, but do have a quite strong marketing company behind the management of the type as far as leasing goes. Guessing aside, one thing I do know is that the Jetstream is particularly popular with passengers in comfort terms, so it may be something as simple as that which tips the scales.Al

Jetstream is particularly popular with passengers in comfort terms

Hi Al. I've never flown in a J41. I have traveled in the Brasilia on numerous occasions and can attest at how loud the cabin gets. I wonder if the J41 is as noisy. Looks-wise I am partial to the Basilia for some reason. Gianluca

I can't really say that they are loud. I've flown on J41s twice with Origin Pacific (a few years back when they where still flying) and it was suprisingly comfy and not loud at all. If memory serves me right, my flights on ATRs where much louder to my ears. I've never flown EMBs so I cannot compare.Those J41 flights where a pleasure anyway because Origin used to serve all kinds of stuff during a flight of less than an hour. I was really surprised to see more service on those little hops than I was used to from much larger 737s and other companies. Short hops, few passengers, great service, nice plane and low crusing alt (for those short hops) made for some really great scenic flight around Kiwi country.

I was wondering what are the differences between the J41 and the Embraer 120 Brasilia. Are they essentially very similar in mechanics, power plant, electronics, panel configuration, etc? Or do they differ in significant ways?

Gianluca,Some great comments on this thread so far -- I'll add a little.In terms of passenger capacity, they're roughly the same, with max 30 passengers in a 1 x 2 seating configuration (one seat to the left of the aisle, two seats on the right).They use very different power plants. The JS41 uses Garrett geared turbines, while the E120 has Pratt & Whitney Canada PW118A free turbines. The Brasilia also has an APU. Panel-wise, both use Collins EFIS, and anyone familiar with the Brasilia's cockpit will recognize the panel components immediately.

I can certainly attest that the ATR-72 is loud in the cabin when you are near the prop tips. I like the ATR-72 and the 42 as aeroplanes, so it was merely a point of interest for me when I flew on them, but I bet less plane crazy passengers would not be similarly enthusiastic. So passenger comfort levels might score some points with airlines looking for repeat business, but it doesn't seem to have done ATR any harm.Anyone who has ever flown on a DH Twin Otter will know that they are deafeningly loud inside, and the new Twotter version has had considerable soundproofing added for just that reason, but the utility of the Twotter is what made it a success, so although comfort is an interesting notion, it might not be the whole story. I do know you can stand upright in the J41 cabin, I don't know about the Embraer though since I've never been on one, maybe someone else who has could comment?Al

There's also the Metro, quite a few of them are still flying around.

The Metro is so ugly, I can't help loving it :-)Al

Kurt, form your on-screen name I presume you are a Brasilia afficionado. I do love that plane too. I wonder why PMDG chose the J41 over the Embraer 120. I presume it's because they had full access to one (or several) and the technical information was readily available. Be that as it may, I can't wait to learn the intricacies - and quirks - of that aircraft.Gianluca

Kurt, form your on-screen name I presume you are a Brasilia afficionado. I do love that plane too. I wonder why PMDG chose the J41 over the Embraer 120. I presume it's because they had full access to one (or several) and the technical information was readily available. Be that as it may, I can't wait to learn the intricacies - and quirks - of that aircraft.Gianluca

Well you do realize, Mr. Randazzo is typerated in a J41 I do believe...so there is firsthand knowledge right there.

Well you do realize, Mr. Randazzo is typerated in a J41 I do believe...

.. with over 1000 hours in the type, so ..... the choice should not puzzle anyone.

..... the choice should not puzzle anyone.

Indeed! That explains it.

Al,The floor-to-overhead dimension in the cabin of the Brasilia is six feet even, if I remember, and the J41 is five feet ten inches. Two inches one way or the other doesn't matter much to me...I can't stand fully upright in either one of them! :( :(

The floor-to-overhead dimension in the cabin of the Brasilia is six feet even, if I remember, and the J41 is five feet ten inches.

When will they start producing cabins and pitch the cattle class seats for us 6'-4" people?Anyway. Regarding the noise issue; Why aren't there more turbo-props with noise cancelling systems? I've flown a couple of SAAB 2000 with this system and it is absolutely amazing what a difference it makes in the cabin. This system was not allowed to be on during take off and landing but during cruise it made all the difference. Flown a couple of Q400 but cannot remember the noise level...Cheers,

I would have preferred the EMB over the JS any day, but that is mostly due to the fact that I have the SKW SOP for it :( There were 350 EMBs built, with only 200 or so still in service. Compared to the JS41 less than currently 100 in service. The EMB is also used largely in the US commuter market, while the JS is scattered almost everywhere else except the US. For an aircraft that was simply supposed to test new animation/VC features for the NG2.0, I think the JS41 was a obvious choice, as PMDG didn't need to hunt down procedures, performance, etc. Personally now that they have the GNS-XLS FMS system, I'm hoping they can use it in some of their other planned aircraft. *Cough*EMB*Hack*