Just Planes/World Air Routes – AZUL ATR 72-600

Azul

Highlights

Review by Marlon Carter. Azul is one of the most popular airlines in Brazil and they have solidified their position within the Brazilian aviation sector with a fine record of safety and fast growth. While their fleet primarily consisted of Embraer 190s, Azul had now positioned itself into the turbo-prop market with the purchase of the brand new ATR-72-600 series.

While most of the flights seen from Just Planes have featured revenue flights, this is the first time we are given the privilege of experiencing the delivery of a brand new aircraft from the manufacturer to the company. What makes this flight especially unique is that we join the flight crew on a three (3) day trip that takes us across Europe and the Atlantic to the final destination of Brazil!

For our first leg of the journey, the flight crew is briefed by the ATR Dispatch manager on the routing, permissions, weather, hotel accommodations and other important details pertaining to the flight. The first leg takes us from Toulouse to Lanzarote for refueling and then onward to Sal, Cape Verde.

Prior to our early morning departure, the captain takes us on a very thorough walk around inspection of the aircraft which affords viewers the opportunity to learn about the aircraft and to have an up close look at the new 600 series. After the walk around has been completed we join the First Officer on the flight deck as he continues his checks in preparation for departure. Part of the preparations involve going through all of the electronic checklist items and start up procedures.

While the forecast for the first leg of our flight was predicted to be foggy, the weather turned out to be quite clear and this afforded us the opportunity to enjoy the scenery from the cockpit while flying over Europe.

During our first leg the captain takes the viewers through some of the systems of the aircraft and he also shares some of this experience flying oceanic ferry flights. After landing in Lanzarote for a 30min refueling stop, the crew prepares for their final leg of the day to Sal, Cape Verde. A definite highlight of this trip was the scenic views from the cockpit on both departure and landing at Sal. While this leg of the trip was flown by the First Officer, he definitely displayed his ability to fly this new aircraft with confidence.

The next segment of this video takes a slight departure from our oceanic flight to focus on some exciting air to air clips of the factory ATR-72 600 in action. While this segment is not lengthy, I thought it was a welcome addition to the video.

Going back to our oceanic flight, after a rest stop in Sal, the crew gears up for their nearly 7 hour flight to Recife Brazil. During this flight there were many highlights worth mentioning. For example, during this leg of our trip the captain discusses the differences between the ATR-72 200(500) and the newer 600 series. He also provided an overview of the EFB (which was not setup at the time), PFD displays and other systems of the aircraft. If you have been eagerly looking forward to a cockpit presentation on the 600 series, then this is the segment you have been waiting for!

Another interesting portion of this flight saw our aircraft having to divert due to the ITCZ and the bad weather associated with it. The final highlight was the stunning beautiful scenery from the cockpit as we descended from FL240 to 3,000ft to view some of the beautiful islands in the Atlantic! This was quite a special treat and I am sure everyone will enjoy this.

After landing in Recife, the crew prepares for the final leg of their 3 days trip to Belo Horizonte. This segment features our First Officer taking the viewers through the cockpit setup procedures from a cold and dark condition. This segment was very insightful and perhaps the very first time Just Planes has filmed a full aircraft power up featuring the ATR 72.

After all was said and done, it was now time to depart to our final destination. This segment was uneventful and it mainly featured scenic views of Brazil before our smooth landing at Belo Horizonte. In the end, I think this video is a must have for anyone who likes turbo props and for anyone who is interested in experience a unique flight of this nature. It isn’t very common that the general public will experience an oceanic flight onboard a turboprop, but now we all can experience this wonderful opportunity from the comfort of our homes.

With multi cameras within the aircraft, there was never a dull moment on these flights. Some portions such as landings and takeoffs are replayed from different perspectives to give the viewers a better appreciation of the experience. Just Planes did a fantastic job at editing this program and I would definitely recommend it.

Additional Information

Summary / Closing Remarks

As always, Just Planes continues to provide some of the best aviation programs available. This Blu-Ray featuring Azul’s ATR-72 Oceanic Delivery is a must have for turbo-prop lovers and anyone who is interesting in experiencing such a unique flight across the continents. The Hi-Def quality of this video is remarkable and it truly recreates the sensation of being in the actual aircraft. If you wish to order this video, it is important to note that it is only available in Blu-Ray format as is the case with all new videos from Just Planes. Overall I think that everyone will enjoy this series and I will highly recommend it.

What I Like About This DVD

• Great scenery
• Creative editing and camera views
• Features very unique destinations and aircraft
• HD and widescreen format
• Fantastic Airline and Flight Crew.
• Oceanic Delivery flight

What I Don’t Like About This DVD

• Nothing