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The ATR 72 is a twin-turboprop short-haul regional airliner built
by the French-Italian aircraft manufacturer ATR. It seats up to 78
passengers in a single-class configuration and is operated by a
two-pilot crew.
The ATR 72 was developed from the ATR 42 in order to increase the
seating capacity (48 to 78) by stretching the fuselage by 4.5 m (14 ft 9
in), increasing the wingspan, adding more powerful engines, and
increasing fuel capacity by approximately 10 percent. The 72 was
announced in 1986, and made its maiden flight on 27 October 1988.
Exactly one year after that, on October 27, 1989, Finnair became the
first company to put the plane into service. At least 408 ATR 72s have been delivered worldwide with orders pending on at least 28 more. Passengers are boarded using the rear door (which is rare for a passenger plane) as the front door is used to load cargo. Finnair ordered their ATR 72s with front passenger door so they could use the jet bridges at Helsinki-Vantaa airport.A tail stand must be installed when passengers are boarding or disembarking in the case the nose lifts off the ground, which is common if the aircraft is loaded or unloaded incorrectly. The ATR aircraft does not have an Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) as normally equipped, the APU is an option and would be placed in the C4 cargo section. Most air carriers normally equip the aircraft with a propeller brake (referred to as "Hotel Mode") that stops the propeller on the #2 (right) engine, allowing the turbine to run and provide air and power to the aircraft without the propeller spinning. The downside to the prop brake is improper usage, many airlines have burned these brakes up, and furthermore the companies have removed them from the aircraft entirely. This eliminates the need for the added weight and expense of an APU and prop brake system. |
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On Tuesday 2 October 2007, ATR CEO Stéphane Mayer, announced the launch of the new -600 series aircraft at a Press Conference held in Washington, D.C.. The new ATR 42-600 and ATR 72-600 will feature the latest technological enhancements while building upon the well-known advantages of the current aircraft, namely its high efficiency, proven dispatch reliability, low fuel burn and operating cost. It will include the new PW127M as standard engine (new engines provide 5% additional thermodynamic power at takeoff, thus improving performance on short runways, in hot weather and on high altitude. The incorporation of the “boost function” enables use of this additional power as needed, only when called for by the takeoff conditions.), Glass Cockpit flight deck featuring five wide LCD screens that will replace the current EFIS (Electronic Flight instrument System). In addition, a multi-purpose computer (MPC) will further enhance Flight Safety and operational capabilities. The new avionics, to be supplied by Thales, will also provide CAT III and RNP capabilities. It will also include the new lighter and more comfortable seats and larger overhead baggage bins. The -600 series ATR aircraft will be progressively introduced during the second half of 2010. Using a temporary test registration F-WWEY the prototype ATR 72-600 first flew on 24 July 2009; it had been converted from an ATR 72-500. |
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2024 (c) |
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