Small planes
 

We had our flights changed from a jet to a plane with 80 seats and the second leg of our trip is a plane with 52 seats .I would appreciate hearing from seasoned flyers re the pros and cons of relatively small planes

Those aren't small. I used to fly regularly on a Saab 340 (34 seats) and had some flights on a Twin Otter (18 seats - not that you'd ever have got 18 people into the plane). Islanders are even smaller.

Good side is you don't need to fight over who gets the front row as everyone gets on and off quickly. You don't get people arguing over locker space as the only things that fit in the lockers are handbags and coats. You get to feel that the cabin crew and flight crew are a close knit team - the same team on the Twin Otters).

The down side is that they can be somewhat cramped and noisy. And cold/wet when they park on stand with the doors open.

52 seats isn't a small plane. Try a 10 seater Cessna!

80 is not small! Try flying in a Cessna 152 with 4 seats!

Those regional CRJ's and ERJ's are fine...and in many ways more comfortable in that they can fly higher and faster than most of the big airliners. You feel turbulence a bit more, but not that much.

My biggest complaint about them is that airlines are using them on longer routes now, and it makes for cramped legs. I can't stand flights longer than 1.5 hours on them.

Flying time
 

The first flight is nearly 4 hours .I am 6'6 ,will I have sufficient leg room ?

That sounds like a big 152! :p

I think 6'6 in Y on almost any aircraft would be uncomfortable for 4 hours, let alone a small plane!

With respect, it's not the plane size that's the issue, it's the seat/pitch size. I have had this discussion with countless friends about cars and the fact that they are tall and/or drive long distances. I have tried to persuade them that the driver's seat is big enough, by definition, but they have often not agreed.

Exactly. 31 inch pitch with thin, near nonexistent padding and limited recline sucks whether it's in the back of a 747 or the front of a CRJ or smaller. Economy plus on UA's 777 or CRJ? Neither is too awful.

The car argument - people just don't get it. It's the usual psychological aspect. I've sat in (not driven, sadly) large super cars where my US size 14 shoe will not fit over the accelerator without twisting my ankle. Plus the cockpits are always cramped in those for anyone 6' / 1.8m or taller, and weighing 220+ lbs / 100+ kilos.

Yet I can fit in a s.m.a.r.t. car or Mini Cooper with no trouble at all.

It will struggle to take off with four seats :p

152 is a 2-seater. I think you're thinking of a 172.

No kidding, it's a bear crawling in through that itty bitty door and I always bonk my head on the damned towbar. In a 152 ALWAYS go for an upgrade and get the emergency exit row with the window seat. :)

Cons:
Small planes are often turboprops and they are generally noisier than jets.
Seats on turboprops are often not as comfortable as those on jets (in terms of padding, pitch or width).
Small planes often don't have an oven.

Pro or Con, depending on how you look at it:
Seats on small planes don't always recline.
Limited overhead locker space.

Pros:
Quicker to get on/off.