Oppos, make me feel better about turboprops

"Honeybunchesofgoats" (honeybunche0fgoats) 10/05/2016 at 10:02 • Filed to: None

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I’m going on vacation in December, New York to Edinburgh to Madrid to Dublin to New York.

Going to and from Edinburgh, I have to fly from Dublin on an ATR 72. I’ve never been on any sort of propeller plane before, and I’m not sure how I should feel about flying on one in December. I mean, I’ve flown from Moscow to Tashkent on Aeroflot, so I’m not necessarily given to fear of flying, but ehhhh, I’m kind of thinking I should have just taken the 10 hour train ride instead.

E90M3 > Honeybunchesofgoats 10/05/2016 at 10:05

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Aeroflot is awesome, I flew them from JFK to SVO to TJM.

Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. > Honeybunchesofgoats 10/05/2016 at 10:05

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Turbo props are awesome. They have the sweet prop effect and visual while having the long life of a turbine like a jet!

And occasionally, someone just gets crazy with them!

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Honeybunchesofgoats 10/05/2016 at 10:07

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WHAT

I DIDNT HEAR THE QUESTION BECAUSE TURBOPROPS ARE LOUD AS FUCK

ttyymmnn > Honeybunchesofgoats 10/05/2016 at 10:09

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Remember, it’s not really a prop plane. It’s a jet plane with a propeller. They are every bit as safe as the big airliners and have been for fifty years. On a smaller aircraft, you might feel a few more bumps, but that’s it.

Rock Bottom > Honeybunchesofgoats 10/05/2016 at 10:11

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They’re great. Just like a regional jet but a little louder and slower. If you have a choice, try not to sit in the tip-path-plane (the seats that look edge-wise into the props). That’s the loudest seat. If you fly a lot, you’ll probably notice how slow their landing speed is compared with your typical tube liner. Other than that, you’ll be hard pressed to notice a difference between a commuter turboprop and a regional jet like a CRJ or Embraer.

Sincerely, aeronautical engineer

ttyymmnn > Honeybunchesofgoats 10/05/2016 at 10:11

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Also, when you consider how many airplanes are in the air every day, and probably about half of them are turboprops, the fact that turboprops aren’t falling out of the sky on any sort of regular basis should be reason enough to feel safe.

Jetstreamer > Honeybunchesofgoats 10/05/2016 at 10:13

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I have flown a 30+ year old turboprop for about 4 years before recently switching to a jet... Turboprops are fine. One of the reasons they are not that popular in the US is due to passengers with a view kind of like yours... propellers, so it must be bad. It’s why a lot of the US carriers switched to regional jets. Shiny metal with cool jets ;-).

Apart from the manner of propulsion, those ATRs have modern avionics and systems. I’m taking a stab in the dark here by saying you are flying Air Lingus Regional, operated by Stobart Air. They have the latest version of the ATR72, the 72-600. It’s more modern than most regional jets in the US. It might be slightly noisier, or at least a different kind of noise, but I can assure you it will be better than a 10-hour train ride.

Tristan > Honeybunchesofgoats 10/05/2016 at 10:16

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I spent 8 years wrenching on T-56s. I’d give anything to go back to working on them, but my wife wanted to move far away from any C-130s, so turbofans it is. In the turboprop world there is a saying:

“If it ain’t got props, it just sucks.”

Heh.

jimz > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 10/05/2016 at 10:17

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I’M SORRY, I’M IN THE BACK ROW OF A DC-9 AND CAN’T HEAR YOU

jimz > ttyymmnn 10/05/2016 at 10:17

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yeah, it’s turbines which have led to such reliable airplanes. no reciprocating parts = less to break.

The Lurktastic Opponaught > Honeybunchesofgoats 10/05/2016 at 10:20

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I love turboprops. The Cessna 208 is one of my favorite aircraft. I have a relative that flies one for FedEx, and I see him occasionally over my office. I’m also a huge fan of the Dash 8.

I like utilitarian hardware :-)

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > jimz 10/05/2016 at 10:20

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WHAT? CHEESEY LIME?

X37.9XXS > Honeybunchesofgoats 10/05/2016 at 10:21

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If you flew Aeroflot and did not collapse into a gibbering panic, you’ll be fine with this

It’s flown by 23 different airlines and has not had a crash since 2015

Bring earplugs, but, if the weather is nice, you should have a really pretty flight

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > Honeybunchesofgoats 10/05/2016 at 10:24

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I fly them here in the States pretty often to get to small airports in college towns for meetings. Most of them are very modern and safe. Here’s a Dash-8 that I was on in August. It basically looks like a CRJ with turboprops instead of turbofans. It’s a smooth plane, just a little loud, but you won’t be on it that long. Plus they don’t do jetways so you get to walk out on the tarmac and get dramatic photos like this one.

Svart Smart, traded in his Smart > Honeybunchesofgoats 10/05/2016 at 10:26

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My favorite flight I ever took was from Cedar Rapids to Minneapolis on a Mesaba Airlines (operating as Northwest Airlink) Saab 340. Each row has one seat on the left and two seats on the right of the aisle. Not very big. The flight was perfectly safe and comfortable, and I got some great pictures from inside and outside of the aircraft. Plus, the sound of the turboprop engines is pretty neat.

ttyymmnn > jimz 10/05/2016 at 10:37

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Though, to be fair, there is a bit of added hardware to get the props turning. But not much. I had a friend who flew a Saab 340 for American Eagle back in the day. People always asked him if “the old propeller planes” are safe. It’s hard for people to separate the idea of props from WWII bombers.

Margin Of Error > Honeybunchesofgoats 10/05/2016 at 10:43

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Nothing to worry about, except that ATR72 are notoriously sensible to icing resulting the plane plummeting from the sky.

Other than that, propellers can sometimes fail and enter the cabin.

Make sure the weather is nice and sit behind the engine, you’ll be fine

bob and john > Honeybunchesofgoats 10/05/2016 at 10:55

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loud, but cool. I got on a bombardier Q400 about 6 times a year.

HammerheadFistpunch > Honeybunchesofgoats 10/05/2016 at 11:06

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Turboprops are the BIZ! Yes, they are loud, but they are fuel efficient and reliable. Plus flying small is so much more fun (my personal opinion) I would fly short hop turboprop all the days If I could.

Honeybunchesofgoats > Margin Of Error 10/05/2016 at 11:18

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:(

ttyymmnn > Rock Bottom 10/05/2016 at 11:20

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try not to sit in the tip-path-plane (the seats that look edge-wise into the props). That’s the loudest seat.

That’s also the one most likely to get shredded when if the prop blade separates from the hub. Not that it would. Actually, I’ve heard more stories of compressor discs failing.

ttyymmnn > Tristan 10/05/2016 at 11:22

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but my wife wanted to move far away from any C-130s

It sounds like there’s a story here somewhere....

ttyymmnn > Jetstreamer 10/05/2016 at 11:23

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I flew on an American Eagle ATR once. I didn’t die. So, my consumer experience with turboprops is 100% positive.

Verdog ~ manual Bro, Bro - HellHawk Equipped > Honeybunchesofgoats 10/05/2016 at 11:33

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Hurricane Hunters use them to fly into freaking hurricanes and shit.

http://www.hurricanehunters.com/plane.html

Tristan > ttyymmnn 10/05/2016 at 11:35

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Nah... she just wanted Oregon. ‘Tis purely coincidence that there are no dirty 130s ‘round here.

ttyymmnn > Honeybunchesofgoats 10/05/2016 at 11:39

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ATRs have a history of issues with icing, but modern ATRs have been updated with more robust de-icing boots (though some say that it still isn’t enough), and most ATRs have been moved to areas of operation where it doesn’t get cold enough for icing conditions.

If you’re really, really concerned about it, here is a list of ATR-72 crashes. If you look at it, you will see that the vast majority were pilot error. The plane worked fine. And you’re flying a reputable carrier (assuming your pic of Lufthansa is the carrier). I fully predict that you will be posting to Oppo for years to come.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATR_72#Accidents_and_incidents

Rock Bottom > ttyymmnn 10/05/2016 at 11:42

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I was thinking that, but I didn’t want to scare the propeller virgin!

ttyymmnn > Tristan 10/05/2016 at 11:42

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I play in the orchestra in Abilene, TX. In my free time, I drive out to Dyess, smoke cigars and watch the 130s and Bones flying around. And take pictures. Lots of 130s out there.

ttyymmnn > Rock Bottom 10/05/2016 at 11:43

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The fact that it doesn’t happen every day is enough to trust the odds that it won’t.

Tristan > ttyymmnn 10/05/2016 at 11:58

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Nothing compares to the aviation geek/patriotism stiffy I get when a C-130 buzzes directly over my head on approach... Best noise ever.

DipodomysDeserti > Jetstreamer 10/05/2016 at 12:33

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Depends on the train ride. I’ve taken a train from Paris to Barcelona a few times, and it was much more enjoyable than any flight I’ve ever taken.

JRapp: now as good as new again > Honeybunchesofgoats 10/05/2016 at 13:15

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I read somewhere that prop planes are actually safer in the case that one of the engines should go out. A prop plane can generally keep flying with one engine, where as jets need to be balanced left to right.. don’t know if it’s true, but it sure sounds good.

Honeybunchesofgoats > JRapp: now as good as new again 10/05/2016 at 13:18

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I am absolutely willing to accept this on face value without looking into it, since it makes me feel better.

Honeybunchesofgoats > ttyymmnn 10/05/2016 at 13:19

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Yeah, I saw that and felt a bit better. I’m flying Stobart Air, which is a subsidiary of Aer Lingus, so as long as there are at least two sober Irishmen on the plane and they’re both the pilots, I’m feeling confident.

ttyymmnn > Honeybunchesofgoats 10/05/2016 at 13:24

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Two sober Irishmen? That train is looking better..... ;)

Honeybunchesofgoats > Jetstreamer 10/05/2016 at 13:26

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Yup, Aer Lingus operated by Stobart. It’s reassuring to hear that they’re flying the latest version.

Honeybunchesofgoats > E90M3 10/05/2016 at 13:32

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I flew from JFK to SVO to TAS. The transatlantic flight was significantly better than I had expected, although the flight to Tashkent was terrifying and the crew were pretty rude.

But they still had a deeply horrifying safety record, even if they’ve been pretty accident free for the better part of a decade.

E90M3 > Honeybunchesofgoats 10/05/2016 at 13:44

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I across the Atlantic on a 777, that was so much better than flying with Delta in the 767. They weren’t rude at all to me on the SVO-TJM flight, they even announced somethings in English which was really nice.

Jetstreamer > ttyymmnn 10/05/2016 at 16:50

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Yep, nothing wrong with turboprops except for the perception of them by the general public (mostly in the US though, here in Europe they are more common and not a lot of passengers are surprised or worried when they see a Dash 8, ATR or even Saab 340 parked up for their trip).

Jetstreamer > Honeybunchesofgoats 10/05/2016 at 17:02

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Yeah, really nothing to worry about. There is properly trained crew up front. Air Lingus is one of the safest airlines around and would not let Stobart Air operate for them without proper oversight and hoops to jump through.

And as mentioned, these planes have been around for about five years, where a large chunk of the regional jets in the US are Bombardier CRJ-200s that have been around since the start of the 1990s. Dublin to Edinburgh is only about 50 minutes so you won’t be subjected to propeller noise for long either.

For Sweden > jimz 10/06/2016 at 20:45

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MAD DOG MAD DOG