The names of some planes and airports are quite complex. Sounding full titles on the air would take a lot of time. And when crossing international air borders, translation difficulties also arise. In emergency situations, this will inevitably lead to collapse, and consequently, to victims. For general convenience, special international codes have been introduced.
Meet Alenia ATR 42-500
The ICAO code is a unique 4-character combination used for flight planning. Under the AT-45 encoding is the Alenia ATR 42-500 aircraft. It is produced by the French-Italian concern Avions de Transport Regional (ATR), formed as a result of the merger of the French company Aerospatiale and the Italian Aeritalia.
The AT-45 aircraft is one of the most popular on short-haul flights. This is a worthy successor to the first-born of this series - ATR-42. The project of the updated ship was announced in 1993. For the first time, the AT-45 chassis came off the cover of the runway on September 16, 1994. He passed all the necessary certification activities in accordance with European standards, which were successfully completed in the summer of 1995. In October, serial production was already launched.
The aircraft of this type received an improved ergonomic cabin design with improved noise isolation. To reduce noise, a whole system of special equipment is used both in the cockpit and in the passenger cabin. The convenience of passengers is dictated by an increase in the volume of upper luggage shelves.
The EFIS Digital Avionics Kit helps pilots cope with any flight situation. Sensitive sensors analyze the state of systems and nodes. They will make it clear in time about problems on board and equipment failures.
It is possible to install other sets of equipment at the request of the customer. All this guarantees the safety and reliability of the AT-45. A photo of ATR 42-500 airliners is presented below.
AT-45 today
For more than twenty years, aircraft of this series have plowed airways on domestic flights. To date, more than four hundred ATR-42s have been produced, a considerable share of which is the AT-45 aircraft. The largest airlines that have this vessel as part of their air fleet:
- TRIP Linhas Aereas.
- FedEx Corporation.
- Airlinair.
- Utair.
In Russia, it can be found on domestic flights of Nordstar and UTair airlines. About 30 cars are in operation in a modern configuration. Mostly companies are their first owners. Since 2011, the plane received certification documents on the possibility of flying at low temperatures. This significantly expanded the scope of its application in the country.
When evaluating flights on such ships, many passengers notice the similarity of equipment with the Russian AN-24, but note great comfort and sound insulation in the cabin.
AT-45 aircraft: technical specifications
The crew is 2 people. The number of passengers can range from 42 to 50. Usually in flight, the flight is served by one steward.
| Dimensions: |
| Wingspan | 24.57 m |
| Wing area | 54.5 sq. M. m |
| Cabin Width | 2.57 m |
| Height | 7.68 m |
| Length | 22.67 m |
| Weight characteristics: |
| Maximum take-off weight | 18.6 t |
| Maximum landing weight | 18.3 t |
| Empty Weight | 11.25 t |
| Maximum payload | 5.45 t |
| Fuel tank capacity | 5730 l |
The aircraft received two Pratt & Whitney (Canada) PW127E turboprop engines , each with a capacity of 2,400 horsepower. The Hamilton Standard 568F six-blade propellers have a diameter of 3.93 m and are designed to optimize noise and vibration reduction.
| Flight data: |
| Maximum cruising speed | 560 km / h |
| Top speed | 670 km / h |
| Flight range, considering maximum load | 1,500 km |
| Practical range | 2100 km |
| Maximum takeoff ceiling | 7620 km |
| Takeoff Length | 1160 m |
| Mileage | 1130 m |
Aircraft Incidents
During its existence, the entire ATR series has participated in various disasters and serious incidents about 30 times. The AT-45 plane got into these statistics only three times, each of which occurred due to the fault of the maintenance personnel.