Why Turboprops are making a comeback...

[Matthew Kane 1,343]

A Good Time Magazine article this week on the comeback of the Turbo Prop, comparing the costs of operating an all regional jet fleet to Turboprops to be too costly.

 

I for one am a fan of the Turboprops on short routes. If it is only a 40 to 90 minute (under 300 mile) flight then Turboprop is better, cheaper and less impact on the Environment (50% less fuel). The flight time difference between a jet and turboprop on a short route is so small that it isn't worth the extra power. A jet has faster takeoff and climb speed up until the 250 knot limit, from their on their really isn't much difference.

 

I am a fan of the Dash 8's so good news for the Toronto production facility.

 

Here is the article (I guess you must be a subscriber to read the entire article so apologies if you are not):

http://www.time.com/...2121069,00.html

 

Cheers

[tinhead59 2]

:hi: Hey mate, There has not been a Dash8 made in Toronto as far as I know DH Canada went out of business a very very long time ago it is all done in Quebec now by Bombardier, but I love the less pollution thing ...John

[Matthew Kane 1,343]

:hi: Hey mate, There has not been a Dash8 made in Toronto as far as I know DH Canada went out of business a very very long time ago it is all done in Quebec now by Bombardier, but I love the less pollution thing ...John

 

They have only been made in Toronto at Downsview and still are. DHC was sold to Boeing back in 1986, Boeing bought it to better position themselves in the Canadian Market to have Air Canada purchase from them......

 

And then their was the Airbus Scandal, so Boeing in response to that fiasco sold DHC to Bombardier and got out of the Canadian Market (I don't blame them).

 

Bombardier has been making them in Toronto at Downsview Airport ever since. They were never made anywhere else.

 

Cheers

[HawkDsl 50]

TP's, even small GA (Piper, TBM, Kester, Lancair, etc) getting well over 300 KMPH speeds, its no wonder TP's are coming back. Pratt & W are legendary. PT series engines are perhaps the safest, most reliable power plants in aviation history. Big bird TP's with their giant props are practically 4X4 torque monsters.. hauling hugh weights.

 

A pair from France (I believe) are part of a group of people doing 'round the world trips in their TBM. Leaving with a group of LVJ's, they soon left them in the dust... because their fuel stops are half that of the LVJ's.

[Cessnaflyer 56]

The girls love them too, that's the real reason I fly them :P When I was flying the DHC-8-100 we were burning only 1,200 lbs of fuel an hour. It will be interesting to see what we burn once we finally get our ATR's.

[tinhead59 2]

I stand corrected

[Matthew Kane 1,343]

The girls love them too, that's the real reason I fly them :P When I was flying the DHC-8-100 we were burning only 1,200 lbs of fuel an hour. It will be interesting to see what we burn once we finally get our ATR's.

 

ATR's are cool too. I bet when you do move onto flying jets you will miss the Turboprops. Kind of like missing your first car (even if it was a POS) LOL

[NGXfanatic 85]

Great article, in fact I just found it recently in my subscription to Time and was meaning to post about it, you beat me to it!

Looking forward to the Majestic Q-400, I have flown their Q-300 as well as the Flight1 ATR and PMDG Jetstream, so I have some interest in the turboprops even though 90% of my time is with the heavy jets. Climbs are slow (about 170kts), but once in cruise or on approach they are very close in speed to the jets.

 

I believe we are witnessing first hand a major change in regional operations. It was not too long ago that I remembered hearing all the hoopla surrounding the RJs, and it's a crazy thing to see the sentiment shift towards the old props. I had thought they were going to be extinct, but alas, today's fuel prices are having a big impact on all jet operations. A highlight to me of this "new normal" is Delta's acquisition of Airtran's 717s and the termination of Comair. Who knew?

[Matthew Kane 1,343]

I stand corrected

 

It's all good as everyone should be welcome on here. this is how we all learn from one another.

 

I am a Canadian (and half American) now living in New Zealand and really enjoying the winter here. This weekend I am going to go ski Mt Rhapehu, right next to the recent volcanic irruption....

 

Just like Hawaii, when the mountain blows its top in the pacific, we all move in closer to take a better look, only difference between Hawaii and New Zealand is we get to ski to take a closer look

 

 

Life is good

 

Cheers

[HawkDsl 50]

New Zealand is on my bucket list of places to see, along with Iceland. Amazing beauty, civilized populations. I say that because there are amazing places in the world with unstable populations. No need to get shot up or kidnaped looking at pretty mountain ranges.

[scott967 62]

We have one local (Island Air) that's dumping their Dash8s for ATRs this fall. Also Hawaiian I guess is going to pick up some ATRs to compete on shorter fields where they don't bring the 717s.

 

scott s.

.

[Airbus Commander 563]

Our regional devision now has 8 ATR72-600s on order for delivery in January/ February next year. They are much more economical on shorter routes like that and have really opened up new routes for us. The time difference on sectors less than 1:20hrs isn't all that much of a penalty anyways and you can turn them around much faster than 174 seat A320's. I think they do a 20min turn with them, whereas we do 40 or 45 min turns with our A320's in most places.... They're the way to go for short routes that up to now have been using the likes of CRJ 100/200's or even the 700's.

 

Rónán.

[Cessnaflyer 56]

We have one local (Island Air) that's dumping their Dash8s for ATRs this fall. Also Hawaiian I guess is going to pick up some ATRs to compete on shorter fields where they don't bring the 717s.

 

scott s.

.

 

Hopefully Hawaiian just buys us.

[Raindance 25]

Our regional devision now has 8 ATR72-600s on order for delivery in January/ February next year. They are much more economical on shorter routes like that and have really opened up new routes for us. The time difference on sectors less than 1:20hrs isn't all that much of a penalty anyways and you can turn them around much faster than 174 seat A320's. I think they do a 20min turn with them, whereas we do 40 or 45 min turns with our A320's in most places.... They're the way to go for short routes that up to now have been using the likes of CRJ 100/200's or even the 700's.

 

Rónán.

Heh. I remember the days when Aer Lingus ran Vickers Viscounts. What goes around comes around I guess..

[Matthew Kane 1,343]

Air New Zealand has a good mix if ATR's and Dash 8 Q300's operated by subsidiaries. They took the last order of the Q300's from Bombardier as you can only get Q400's now.

 

The Q300 fleet is operated by Air Nelson and a lot of pilots work there way into Air New Zealand through Air Nelson. It would be an awesome job to start out with them as the FBO is in Nelson and the scenery and routes are phenomenal.

 

But Chris up in Hawaii has it really good flying Turboprops around Hawaii as well.