To normalize domestic air traffic, airlines are replenishing their air fleets with short and medium-haul aircraft. It all depends on what budget the airline has. Of course, you can buy and include an expensive turbojet aircraft in the fleet, or you can buy an ATP 72 aircraft, save several millions of money and invest it in the development of short-range aviation.
Small. Turboprop. Passenger
Throughout the history of the development of aircraft construction, a huge number of aircraft have been designed and built. It so happened that only large long-haul aircraft and military aircraft were heard. Meanwhile, in addition to flights over long distances, you need to fly on medium and even short routes. The ATP 72 aircraft is an excellent representative of universal short-range civil aviation aircraft.
What are its benefits? Because it is relatively smalland lightweight. It does not have turbojet engines, but is equipped with two turboprop power units, which is much more profitable for short-range aviation. Such an aircraft consumes not so much fuel and is easy to maintain. Its design itself is much simpler and more understandable than most of the more powerful aircraft.
ATP 72 is a new generation aircraft. The engine blades look a little old-fashioned and this repels passengers. However, this is a common misconception. Screw thrust, although it gives less speed, is by no means worse than turbojet thrust. Historically, military aircraft have been considered the standard of reliability. Turboprop engines are successfully used on strategic bombers of the Russian Aerospace Forces and military transport aircraft of the US Air Force. These engines are best suited for short distance flights.
And yet he is a passenger
It is surprising that many companies use the ATP 72 aircraft as a transport aircraft. Especially American postal services. For domestic mail, it is important that parcels are delivered quickly and transport is not too expensive. It so happened that the ATP 72 fits these requirements perfectly. However, its main specialization is passenger transportation. This is a full-fledged passenger aircraft. Its capacity is quite high for an aircraft of this class - 72 passengers, a team of stewards and a team of pilots.
If screw, then only "turbo"
Indeed, propeller-driven aircraft have long been a part of history. They were replaced by turboprop aircraft. Between theseIt would seem that related types have a colossal difference. Turboprop aircraft are much more powerful. The lifting force is enough to lift not only the plane, but also many passengers. In this case, the cruising speed will be as much as 510 km / h. This is very fast for a regional airline aircraft. Of course, this is significantly slower than long-haul aircraft. Given the short flight range, it will seem to passengers that the plane is flying at an incredible speed.
Design Features
Each aircraft has its own distinctive features. ATP 72 was no exception, but on the contrary - a benchmark for all short-range aviation. The most advanced composite materials are used in the design of this turboprop aircraft. The caissons of the wings are 100 percent made of carbon fiber. For ATP aircraft, aviation aluminum is gradually becoming a thing of the past. Aircraft are becoming lighter and faster, which opens up attractive commercial opportunities for them.
ATP 72 in Ukraine
Despite the fact that in this country the Tupolev Design Bureau ships are regional aviation aircraft, there is also ATP 72 here. UTair is its operator. Its flight distance is low and loses to Tupolev aircraft. The maximum flight range is 1500 km. It is for this reason that such an aircraft is unpopular in Russia. Aircraft of the same class are equipped with turbojet engines and are capable of flying up to 8000 km without refueling. ATP 72 are also found in the Russian Federation, but much less frequently. Mainly in the south of Russia.
ATP 72's problem is concatenation. The aircraft is completely unsuitable for flying in adverse weather conditions and in the cold season. In case of icing, the aircraft goes into a stall and crashes. This has already happened several times. This problem is a design flaw of the aircraft, it is problematic to solve it through modernization.
Where is the best place to sit?
Where are the best seats in ATP 72? Of course by the window. You can't tell which are the good places and which are the bad ones. All this is a subjective assessment, because everyone measures the level of comfort in different ways. However, do not land in the tail section of the aircraft. There, as a rule, the most noticeable maneuvers and swaying of the body. Window seats will always be the best because the bird's eye view is always breathtaking.
Reviews about the aircraft
Reviews of the ATP 72 are different. Most of the feedback is positive, but there are also negative ones. Many passengers note the very unusualness of flying on this plane. The plane is comfortable, small, and just a pleasure to fly in it. Some of the negative reviews are left by civil aviation pilots, complaining that operation in the cold season is very dangerous. Some complain about hard chairs, but this is also quite subjective.
The cabin is noisy. Nothing can be done about it, because it is a turboprop. These engines are noisy and create an interesting entourage. Most of the passengers are happy to experience the thrill of flying on such an aircraft, because they are completely incomparable to flying on a turbojet.airplane.
