# Turboprop: Flown on one? Tell me about it. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 24, 2010, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turboprop-flown-on-one-tell-me-about-it/558198 "2010-10-24T17:32:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2010, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turboprop-flown-on-one-tell-me-about-it/558198/21 "2010-10-25T01:37:34Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > I’ve flown on a bunch of turbprops, in the USA and elswhere, and have no problem with the aircraft themselves; my only concern is that when flying locally overseas, older turboprops in this day and age tend to be emblematic of third-world economics and maintenance standards. I hasten to say that this will certainly not be not be a problem with the operation the OP plans to fly on. > > Types I recall having flown in: > > ATR-72 > Convair 580 (my first flight ever, at about age 12) > De Havilland Canada (DHC) Twin Otter (my personal favorite) > DHC Dash 7, Dash 8 > Embraer Bandierante > Fairchild-Swearingen Metroliner > Fokker F27 > Pilatus Turbo-Porter (my other favorite, got a front-seat ride one time) > Saab 340 > Beech 1900 (my personal least favorite) > > Everyone else has hit the main points: possibly higher noise levels, more susceptibility to turbulence, more scenic due to flying at lower altitudes. Seeing the props churning away a few feet from one’s seat can be disconcerting. Still, overall, I like 'em. Been in quite a few, myself. Primarily Dash-8 type planes, but also in an [Otter](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Havilland_Canada_DHC-3_Otter) and a [Pilatus PC-12](http://www.aerospace-technology.com/projects/pilatus_pc12/pilatus_pc121.html), the [Beechcraft King Air](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beechcraft_King_Air) and others. I didn’t think they were all that bad. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2010, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turboprop-flown-on-one-tell-me-about-it/558198/22 "2010-10-25T02:28:36Z")
I flew from Cleveland to Columbus in June on a turbo prop. As someone who has flying issues, flying on a day where thunderstorms were about, I can tell you that the turbulence was _not_ fun. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced that degree of up-and-down motion on a flight before. I’m also a big guy, and the seats were a much tighter fit than on any passenger plane I’d flown on before. That being said, I survived it, much like every other flight I’ve ever taken. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2010, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turboprop-flown-on-one-tell-me-about-it/558198/23 "2010-10-25T02:51:30Z")
Here is what Ron White has to [say](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QC0yfREBxWw) about small turbo props. 😃 ETA: YouTube link with sound. ---
**Author:** ![dogbutler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogbutler/32/428_2.png) [@dogbutler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dogbutler)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2010, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turboprop-flown-on-one-tell-me-about-it/558198/24 "2010-10-25T02:56:44Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Well, it’s a bit like flying! 😛 > > Horizon Air operates [del]de Havilland[/del] Bombardier Dash-8s. I’ve flown with them several times. United used to fly Embraers from the same airport, but they’re gone now. I prefer the Dash-8 because the high wings give a better view. I also like watching the landing gear come up. Compared to a pure jet, they’re a little noisier. The seats are also not as comfortable. Not that the seats in airliners are comfortable. The well-used seats in a Dash-8 remind me of the well-used seats in a '70s Cessna. You feel more turbulence in a smaller aircraft than a larger one. Partly this is because the smaller planes fly lower, in the weather. Partly it is because large jets have long and flexible wings ti absorb some of the shock. Since turboprops have fewer seats, loading takes less time. For whatever reason, people don’t seem to grok the idea that airline seats are numbered sequentially, that stowing baggage is really a simple matter, that the way to remember how to sit down is ‘Bend in the middle’, and that while they’re standing in the aisle nobody can get to his seat. But it’s quicker on a 19-seat aircraft than one that hold a hundred or more. > > Given the choice, I’d go for the turboprop. As a (lapsed) pilot, I like being in an _airplane_ instead of a bus. Turbulence makes me smile. I like the view. I like the ease of getting on and off. If I were to _really_ be given a choice, I’d fly myself in a four-seat piston single. It might take longer (actually, it can take less time depending on the length of the trip, where the airports are, what the security queue is like, etc.) and much more expensive. But it would definitely be more fun. I’ve flown Saab 340s from Memphis, to Greenville, MS. I love it. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2010, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turboprop-flown-on-one-tell-me-about-it/558198/25 "2010-10-25T03:26:43Z")
I have flown on a bunch of them all over the U.S. and Caribbean. I love airplanes in general and I like them just fine. The only issue I had was one on a flight from Shreveport, LA to New Orleans, LA. The only passengers were me, a really old lady and a black guy who said he had never flown before. We took off and the door wasn’t closed exactly right apparently. There was some kind of crimp in the seal and it made this horrible shrieking, whistling noise when we got to altitude. The pilots apologized and pressed on while we covered our ears. It wasn’t a very long flight and the sound went away when we descended but that wasn’t too fun. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2010, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turboprop-flown-on-one-tell-me-about-it/558198/26 "2010-10-25T03:37:34Z")
I like them. They’re fun. They feel more like _flying_ and less like cramming into a crowded long thin room that magically a few hours later is in a different city. ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2010, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turboprop-flown-on-one-tell-me-about-it/558198/27 "2010-10-25T05:57:44Z")
Back when I was traveling semi-regularly from Seattle to Montana, the usual aircraft was the [Lockheed 188 Electra](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_L-188_Electra). Definitely not your father’s (or son’s) Dash-8. The article mentions “high noise levels in the cabin forward of the wings, caused by propeller resonance,” solved by redesigning the nacelles to tilt the engines upward. I have a feeling that the aircraft I rode in were never retrofitted; if they were, I’d hate to think what the noise was like beforehand. Another strong recollection was looking up at the mountains as we passed them (although this was more likely due to the flight segments being too short to gather any decent altitude, rather than a limitation of the aircraft itself). Alas, like being tarred & feathered or ridden on a rail, the opportunity to travel by Electra seems to have disappeared. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2010, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turboprop-flown-on-one-tell-me-about-it/558198/28 "2010-10-25T11:25:13Z")
I’m a Dash 8 captain and have been flying them for a few years now. The noise thing depends a lot on the engines and where you are sitting. I remember flying on an Embraer E110 Bandeirante and I was sitting nearly in line with the props and at take-off power it was really very noisy, I could almost feel the sound distorting in my ears, in the cruise it was better. The Dash 8 by comparison doesn’t seem any where near as bad and I can quite happily sit in the back with no hearing protection. Also the Q series Dash 8s have active noise cancellation in the cabin which probably helps a bit. Ours don’t have it but I still don’t find them to be particularly loud. I’m happy enough to be a passenger in any aircraft that’s got a big enough fuselage cross section that I can stand up in the isle. So Dash 8 and ATR good, Metroliner and Bandeirante bad. > [@dalej42](#): > > I hate turboprops. I flew on one from Charlotte to Knoxville one time. Hated the thing, my ears were stopped up for an entire day. That wasn’t the turbo-prop’s fault that you had ear troubles, there is no practical difference between a turbo-prop and a jet pressurisation system from the passenger’s perspective. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2010, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turboprop-flown-on-one-tell-me-about-it/558198/29 "2010-10-25T11:37:59Z")
I fly in one all the time, but C-130s probably don’t count for the purposes of this discussion. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2010, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turboprop-flown-on-one-tell-me-about-it/558198/30 "2010-10-25T12:14:26Z")
I once flew to Manchester (as in the one in the UK) for a friend’s memorial service. When it was time to go home, I sat at the airport waiting for a flight to Bergen (as in Norway), and noticed a green-and-white Widerøe turboprop was sitting outside the gate. _That’s funny,_ I thought, _what’s a little Widerøe plane doing all the way over here in England?_ It suddenly dawned on me that it was going back to Norway. And I was going to be on it :eek: So I’ve flown across the North Sea in a turboprop. Widerøe flies pretty much all Dash-8s of different descriptions, so I assume that’s what it was, though I don’t remember details. Really, it wasn’t all that bad. The weather was fairly calm that night, so the turbulence wasn’t bad. It was noisy inside, but I had earplugs and a book to read so I managed to ignore the noise. And the seats were actually wider and more comfortable than on a commuter jet, for some reason. I wouldn’t sweat it for a short flight. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2010, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turboprop-flown-on-one-tell-me-about-it/558198/31 "2010-10-25T13:56:58Z")
I’m very fond of propeller aircraft (known as “Propjets” when I was a kid, for some reason) and for years in NZ- certainly into the mid-1990s, at least- most of the flights between the major centres and anywhere that wasn’t a major centre was undertaken by a propjet- generally Hawker-Siddely 748s, Fokker Friendships, De Havilland Dash-8s or ATR-72s (all of which I’ve flown in an enjoyed). I’ve also flown in a Grumman Goose flying boat (including water take-off and landing!) and various Cessna and Beechcraft twin-engine aircraft Qantas in Australia are still operating Dash-8 and Bandeirantes; I flew on a Dash-8 for work a couple of years back and it wasn’t especially loud IMHO- louder than a jet, but not annoyingly so. One big advantage of propjets is that they fly lower than a jetliner, so you can actually see the ground as you’re flying overhead- so you’ve got a view to entertain you for the flight, instead of just looking at endless clouds or ocean. ---
**Author:** ![Scubaqueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@Scubaqueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scubaqueen)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2010, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turboprop-flown-on-one-tell-me-about-it/558198/32 "2010-10-25T14:46:55Z")
noisy - seriously recommend the ear plugsand/or a really good set of Bose headphones - and a lot like sitting on a mixmaster (and not in a good way:p) in a bicycle basket. i flew from Indianapolis to Chicago years ago on one and vowed never again. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2010, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turboprop-flown-on-one-tell-me-about-it/558198/33 "2010-10-25T21:41:34Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > I’m very fond of propeller aircraft (known as “Propjets” when I was a kid, for some reason) “Propjet” is probably a better descriptive term than “turboprop”. They’re essentially a jet engine driving a propeller. The PW123 engines on the Dash 8 get about 10% of their propulsive thrust from the exhaust. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turboprop-flown-on-one-tell-me-about-it/558198/34 "2010-10-26T03:22:17Z")
turboprops probably do a little better with bird strikes. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turboprop-flown-on-one-tell-me-about-it/558198/35 "2010-10-26T04:48:17Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > I’m very fond of propeller aircraft (known as “Propjets” when I was a kid, for some reason) > . If they really were propjets the reason is that they were a combination of a jet and piston engine. In a piston engine, like those in a DC-3, internal combustion simply drives the propellers. A propjet engine works much like a regular jet but, but instead of being used to provide forward thrust, most of the escaping exhaust is used to turn the turbines that turn the propeller blades. A small fraction of the thrust from the rearward escaping gas does go to provide forward thrust, but it’s mainly the propellers that move the plane. Propjets generally fly a little faster than pure-props, but not by much. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turboprop-flown-on-one-tell-me-about-it/558198/36 "2010-10-26T04:52:46Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > I’m a Dash 8 captain and have been flying them for a few years now. The noise thing depends a lot on the engines and where you are sitting.. For this reason the DC-9/MD-80 is one of my favorite planes to ride in. Almost all the seats are forward of the engines, so you get a quieter ride. Also the the 3-and-2 seating layout (IME) makes for feeling a lot less cramped. ---
**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turboprop-flown-on-one-tell-me-about-it/558198/37 "2010-10-26T06:05:02Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > I fly in one all the time, but C-130s probably don’t count for the purposes of this discussion. I’d love to fly in one of those. I was at an air show at Gowen Field once and watched a Idaho Air Guard C-130 take off - empty - and as soon as the wheels cleared the runway it looked like he stood it right on the tail and shot straight up. Whee! I’ve flown on all kinds of turboprops. Fokker F-27, Dash 8, and Beech 1900. They are just fine. The worst turbulence is on hot days with lots of thermals. Flew from Seattle to Helena once that was constant up and down up and down. It was so bad some passengers didn’t reboard in Missoula for the last leg. I was fine, but I remember my wife’s face was green by the time we touched in Helena. She couldn’t have taken another 5 minutes without blowing lunch. ---
**Author:** ![aesop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f8ce5/32.png) [@aesop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aesop)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turboprop-flown-on-one-tell-me-about-it/558198/38 "2010-10-26T06:11:50Z")
> [@vivalostwages](#): > > Great Lakes has two turboprops–a 19-seater and a 30-seater. What is it like to fly on these things? Watch out for the overwing seats on the Beechcraft (19-seater). The ones I’ve flown in had a serious hump in row 5 or 6 – almost like sitting on top of the transmission hump in a car, except it’s perpendicular to the front of the craft. You ride with your knees under your chin, and you’re not going to get anything under the seatback in front of you. My buddy used to call this the “bitch seat”. Nuff said… Dash-8’s vary in loudness, but the loud ones are like flying on a lawnmower. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turboprop-flown-on-one-tell-me-about-it/558198/39 "2010-10-26T06:21:08Z")
One of the best flights I’ve ever had was on a turboprop. Boarded in darkness in St. George, Utah, and took off at about dawn bound for Salt Lake City. I had a right-side seat; not a cloud in the sky, watched the slow sunrise over the mountains for the whole trip. And the flight attendant was the most drop-dead gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen. Your experience may differ, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turboprop-flown-on-one-tell-me-about-it/558198/40 "2010-10-26T08:47:55Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > If they really were propjets the reason is that they were a combination of a jet and piston engine. In a piston engine, like those in a DC-3, internal combustion simply drives the propellers. A propjet engine works much like a regular jet but, but instead of being used to provide forward thrust, most of the escaping exhaust is used to turn the turbines that turn the propeller blades. A small fraction of the thrust from the rearward escaping gas does go to provide forward thrust, but it’s mainly the propellers that move the plane. > > Propjets generally fly a little faster than pure-props, but not by much. It’s a little misleading to say the propjet is a combination of a jet and piston engine. The only part of a piston engine that is common with a propjet is the propeller which isn’t a part of the engine at all, but part of the propulsive system. I think it’s important here to define terms and to try not to confuse the propulsion system with the mechanics of the engine itself. Propjet is another name for a turboprop, they both refer, as you say, to a turbine engine that uses the exhaust gases to drive a propeller. The propeller is primarily responsible for the thrust from the engine. These are generally found on medium sized commercial transport aircraft and increasingly on smaller aircraft. A turbojet is a turbine engine that uses the exhaust gases to provide thrust directly. These are not generally found on aircraft anymore as they’re noisy and not as efficient as modern turbofan engines. A turbofan is the same as a turbojet but at the front of the engine, before the compressor stages, there is a large ducted fan. A lot of the air going into the air intake bypasses the engine itself and provides thrust much the same way a propeller does. These are the engines found on modern commercial jet aircraft. They are quieter and more efficient than turbojets. “Jet” colloquially refers to turbojet and turbofan engines. All of the above, turbojets, turboprops, and turbofans have at their heart a gas turbine engine that is distinct in operation from a piston engine. A piston engine can be found in small propeller driven aircraft and is the same type of engine as used in most cars. It’s important to note that a piston engine doesn’t have to drive a propeller, it could drive a ducted fan. A piston engine is sometimes turbocharged. A turbocharger uses exhaust gases to drive a small turbine that forces air and fuel into the engine. It compensates for decreasing performance with increasing altitude. Turbo charged engines are still piston engines and are not “turboprops” despite the use of the word “turbo.” A “supercharger” performs the same function as a turbocharger but it runs directly off the crankshaft rather than using exhaust gases. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turboprop-flown-on-one-tell-me-about-it/558198.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turboprop-flown-on-one-tell-me-about-it/558198.md?page=3)