The names of some planes and airports are rather complicated. It would take a lot of time to sound the full names on the air. And when crossing international air borders, translation difficulties also arise. In emergency situations, this will inexorably lead to collapse, and consequently, to victims. For everyone's convenience, special international codes have been introduced.
Meet Alenia ATR 42-500
The ICAO code is a unique combination of 4 characters used for flight planning. Under the AT-45 encoding, the Alenia ATR 42-500 aircraft is hidden. It is produced by the French-Italian concern Avions de Transport Regional (ATR), formed as a result of the merger of the French company Aerospatiale and the Italian Aeritalia.
The AT-45 is one of the most sought after short haul flights. This is a worthy successor to the firstborn of this series - ATR-42. The project of the updated vessel was announced in 1993. For the first time, the AT-45 chassis broke away from the runway on September 16, 1994. He passed all the necessary measures forcertification according to European standards, which were successfully completed in the summer of 1995. Serial production was already launched in October.
An aircraft of this type received an improved cabin design in terms of ergonomics with improved sound insulation performance. To reduce noise, a whole system of special equipment is used both in the cockpit and in the passenger compartment. The convenience of passengers is dictated by the increase in the volume of the upper shelves for luggage.
The EFIS digital avionics suite helps pilots handle all kinds of flight situations perfectly. Sensitive sensors analyze the state of systems and nodes. They will promptly let you know about problems on board and equipment failures.
It is possible to install other sets of equipment at the request of the customer. All this guarantees the safety and reliability of the AT-45. Photos of ATR 42-500 airliners are presented below.
AT-45 today
For more than twenty years, aircraft of this series have been plying the airways on domestic flights. To date, more than four hundred ATR-42s have been produced, a large proportion of which is the AT-45 aircraft. The largest airlines that have this vessel in their fleet:
- TRIP Linhas Aereas.
- FedEx Corporation.
- Airlinair.
- UTair.
In Russia, it can be found on domestic flights of Nordstar and UTair airlines. There are about 30 modern equipped machines in operation. ATmostly companies are their first owners. Since 2011, the aircraft has received certification documents for the possibility of flying at low temperatures. This greatly expanded the scope of its application in the country.
When evaluating flights on such vessels, many passengers notice the similarity of equipment with the Russian AN-24, but note greater comfort and sound insulation in the cabin.
AT-45 aircraft: specifications
The crew is 2 people. The number of passengers can be from 42 to 50. Usually in flight, the flight is served by one steward.
| Dimensions: | |
| Wingspan | 24, 57 m |
| Wing area | 54, 5 sq. m |
| Interior width | 2, 57 m |
| Height | 7, 68 m |
| Length | 22, 67 m |
| Weight specifications: | |
| Maximum takeoff weight | 18, 6 t |
| Maximum Landing Weight | 18, 3 t |
| Empty curb weight | 11, 25t |
| Max payload | 5, 45t |
| Fuel tank capacity | 5730 l |
The aircraft received two Pratt & Whitney (Canada) PW127E turboprop engines, each with a capacity of 2400 horsepower. Hamilton Standard 568F six-blade propellers are 3.93 m in diameter and are designed to optimize noise reduction andvibration.
| Flight data: | |
| Maximum cruising speed | 560 km/h |
| Max speed | 670 km/h |
| Flying range considering maximum payload | 1500 km |
| Practical flight range | 2100 km |
| Maximum takeoff ceiling | 7620 km |
| Takeoff run | 1160 m |
| Run length | 1130 m |
Aircraft accidents
During its existence, the entire ATR series has been involved in various kinds of disasters and serious incidents about 30 times. The AT-45 aircraft was included in these statistics only three times, each of which was due to the fault of the service personnel.
