Professional Pilot, June 2018

If you fly a turboprop why do you What advantages do TPs have over jets Turboprops are the unsung heroes of corporate and private aviation They can go practically anywhere with their short field advantage consume half or less fuel than similar payload jets and are as fast over short or medium distances In my experience theyre also more robust in harsh operating conditions Unfortunately many owners and passengers associate them with unglamorous propeller planes from another era As a result their development mostly stopped in the 1960s with most TP designs in the air today tracing their origin back half a century unlike jets The few and rare modern TP designs like the Avanti or TBM can actually outperform many jets As a mechanical engineer I recognize the thermodynamic advantage of the unshrouded turbofan better known as the turboprop New modern clean sheet designs would be superior to most jets today certainly for non oceanic distances if the undeserved stigma attached to TPs were absent Alan Eugeni ATP King Air 350 Senior Partner Primus Aviation Mgmt Montreal QC Canada I dont fly a turboprop but if I did it would be a PC 12 Great TP Brandon Keener ATP CFII Citation CJ2 Asst Chief Pilot Mountain Air Cargo Kernersville NC 24 PROFESSIONAL PILOT June 2018 I m flying several TPs all over Europe My preferred airplane is the Piper M500 but only because I have not flown the M600 yet Flying out of Switzerland I can reach almost everywhere I need to go in Europe non stop Most of the faster TPs let you land on less than 3000 ft runways some even on grass Its also easier to get into secondary airports close to the big cities that jets cant safely fly into This avoids the busy international airports with their slots and expensive handling fees The fuel and maintenance savings offered by my single PT6 are considerable Based on PWCs safety record trusting a single engine PT6 equipped aircraft is acceptable to me However I wouldnt trust a single engine jet and the costs for a twin turbojet just rocket up there Last but certainly not least European airspace is sometimes very congested so flying at typical TP levels up to FL300 avoids the big guys Andre Mueller Comm Multi Inst Piper M500 Owner Pilot Mullair Weggis Switzerland Generally speaking turboprops are cheaper per mile to fly than jets especially on shorter 100 300 nm runs Plus they have the reliability of turbines and jet fuel Some models even operate near jet speeds David Slivka ATP Mitsubishi MU2 Chief Pilot Anaconda Aviation Boca Raton FL Not uncommon for me to see 300 kts ground speed at just over 400 lbs per hour And in busy tight airports when I pull the power out I get a speed brake Theres a high level of confidence operating in out of shorter strips knowing theres a tremendous amount of reverse thrust at my fingertips And TPs make great platforms to take amazing photos at night in just the right amount of ambient lighting Pete Buffington ATP Pilatus PC 12 Captain Wisconsin Dept of Admin Stoughton WI After 5 years of successful and highly reliable operations we just sold our Cheyenne IIIA and are looking for a Cheyenne 400 Before the IIIA we had a Cheyenne II for 10 years Turboprops have a lot to offer more flexibility in choosing airports greater range no type rating required lower insurance costs greater control on contaminated runways more interior room keeps everyone in the back happy retention of value and just plain fun to fly For our missions the TP makes much more sense Bruce Kaiser Private Inst Piper Cheyenne IIIA President Lightning Master Clearwater FL Economy of operating an aircraft such as a Twin Commander 840 with TPE331 10 engines is unmatched Short field capability versus a jet is obvious And in my opinion the engine out performance cant be beat Robert Oehl ATP CFII Gulfstream G100 Owner Express Air Starke FL Boss has a Challenger 601 and a King Air 350 The jet is for trips across the country and the King Air is for shorter trips For my employer the savings in operating costs on the King Air make him value the smaller plane when appropriate A simple cost comparison shows the economy of the turboprop on a 20 minute flight Ryan Johnson ATP Challenger 601 King Air 350 Captain DC Air Denair CA Flight characteristics and ground handling give turboprops the capability to land and takeoff from glaciers and deal with challenging terrain we have in Alaska Bill Post ATP CFII de Havilland DHC2 Beaver DHC3T Turbo Otter Check Airman Talkeetna Air Taxi Custer WA