Next weekend I am doing 8 segments in an effort to requalify for Gold. Two of my flights are on turboprops, 2 on ERJ, and the remainder on mainline jets. With the growing movement to the ERJ, has anyone heard of the looming retirement of the props?

I've heard Dave Siegel mention that turboprops will be gone in 2004. As the new RJs start to arrive next year, one should hopefully see fewer turboprops.

"Retire" is relative. There are still markets that US probably wants to serve that won't support anything bigger than 25 seats. I think the B1900s will stick around for these markets, and perhaps a couple of D328s or Dash-8s for really short fields where an RJ cannot operate.

However, I think that everything else in the 34+ seat areas will be phased out in the next few years, as RJs are introduced en mass.

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Saving the world, one clue at a time.

AW C'mon you mean you don't like the roar of the B1900 TurboProp as it lumbers down the runway into the wild blue yonder?
I LOVE watching the look of absolute terror in the eyes of folks who don't fly regularly as they board the B1900 in BWI or PHL bound to ACY! It's geting so a guy can't have any fun! First it was the ice cream cart in first on PHL to SFO, now my beloved Beech1900? Why, I am outraged!

This weekend I don't have any Beech 1900 flights scheduled. However, since I tend to sleep most of the time I am on a plane, the noise does tend to interupt my beauty sleep. I do much better on a RJ, and even better in coach than First. In First it is to difficult to lean against the window. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Hey Kat how much beauty sleep do you need? I gave up! for me to get good looking I'd have to sleep straight through to re-incarnation

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by PineyBob:
AW C'mon you mean you don't like the roar of the B1900 TurboProp as it lumbers down the runway into the wild blue yonder?
I LOVE watching the look of absolute terror in the eyes of folks who don't fly regularly as they board the B1900 in BWI or PHL bound to ACY! It's geting so a guy can't have any fun! First it was the ice cream cart in first on PHL to SFO, now my beloved Beech1900? Why, I am outraged!</font>

Oh God, I can remember a particular flight from Elmira to PHL in a nasty winter rainstorm where I was sitting on the rear bench and being bounced around like a pinball. I was pretty close to losing my lunch.

OTOH, I enjoyed sitting in the first row when the pilots left the doors open. Really cool for take-off and landing.

Yeah, they are not going to fly RJs from PIT to Dubois.

Has anyone counted the number of destinations they currently serve whose runways could not support RJ ops? I know HHH is on the list, there must be others (Key West, Bar Harbor, Hanscom, Nantucket). I'd think US would lose freq. flyers if it dropped these popular tourist destinations, not to mention where they are the only carrier (Massena, Watertown, New Haven, about 8 destinations in PA), and can charge higher fares.

Interestingly enough not true for Key West. Delta was supposed to start flying an RJ from Atlanta into Key West on 11/1/02, not sure if that ever happened.

Chris

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by catwood:
Interestingly enough not true for Key West. Delta was supposed to start flying an RJ from Atlanta into Key West on 11/1/02, not sure if that ever happened. </font>

Delta has had to implement severe weight restrictions in order to serve Key West with 70-seat CRJ's. I'm not sure if ERJ's would have the same problem, I believe they may have better short-field performance.

I understand that there are instances where the props are the only feasible transport due to the runway constraints. I am wondering about their use on routes like CLT-RDU, DCA-CLT, SDF-PHL, SDF-DCA, in these instances there is no problem with the runway length. Is the traffic is so low that it can't support an RJ?

As a long-ago Piedmont employee, let me assure you that Piedmont was the first (and only???) airline to offer full, mainline jet service to Key West (EYW). Service lasted for about a year as I recall and was flown by F28s as part of the Florida Shuttle service!

There are some economic reasons for the turboprops. Spend a couple hours watching the aircraft come and go at DCA. Noting the number of aircraft which use the short cross runways and have no delay in using them, you'll see why US really doesn't want to let them go so fast.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by sbtinme:
As a long-ago Piedmont employee, let me assure you that Piedmont was the first (and only???) airline to offer full, mainline jet service to Key West (EYW). Service lasted for about a year as I recall and was flown by F28s as part of the Florida Shuttle service!</font>

IIRC, Eastern used to run a 727-100 into EYW years ago.

I fondly remember Piedmont F-100's into Key West back in the 80's. The F-100 is one of my fav aircraft. It was of Dutch manufacture wasn't it? or Canadian or maybe Dutch built with several parts manufactured in Canada.

I fondly remember Piedmont F-28's into Key West back in the 80's. The F-28 is one of my fav aircraft. It was of Dutch manufacture wasn't it? or Canadian or maybe Dutch built with several parts manufactured in Canada.

US Airways at one time definitely had mainline service to Key West, I believe Delta did too as mentioned, I believe I've actually flown both out of EYW on mainline service, but my recollection is a bit fuzzy on the details ...

Key West airport has a single 4801' long runway. The airport has very stringent noise restrictions, too. Those two constraints are what has kept jet traffic minimized - typically private jets like Lears and Citations. I don't know of any airline that's served EYW with a jet in at least 10 years or more.

If there were F100's and 727's in there, they must have been REALLY lightly loaded for that short length runway.

PHL, I'm not sure about the F-100, but the 727 has no problems with short runways. That's why it was built in the first place. Hull size has nothing to do with performance.

Hull size does actually relate to performance. Bigger hull = more weight = longer take-off run given all other things equal.

Indeed, the 727 was good for those short lengths due to 3 engines poweing a hull that 2 engines could have done just the same (but not with the same performance). Too bad it's so darn loud.

[This message has been edited by PHL (edited 10-15-2002).]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by PHL:
Hull size does actually relate to performance. Bigger hull = more weight = longer take-off run given all other things equal.
</font>

Of course, all other things aren't usually equal either, the wings, slats, flaps, etc., were also designed with the goal of flying jets into smaller airports than the 707 could handle. See this site for some relevant pics:
http://sobering.terracom.net/MOF_4-97/N7001U/N7001U.html

You mean size really doesn't matter?

DL is currently flying ATL-EYW 2x daily with the CRJ700...though there are weight restrictions. DL also flies 2x daily MCO-EYW with the CRJ200....however this will be converted to 3x daily with an ERJ145 starting this winter.

US could conceivably us RJ's on the the EYW-TPA route or with the right plane launch CLT-EYW.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Beckles:
US Airways at one time definitely had mainline service to Key West</font>

Definitely did in 1990 (MIA-EYW in an F-28). I had a freebie ticket when they were giving them out for every so many paid R/Ts you did.