ATR 42

Type
Turboprop Regional Airliner.

Performance
ATR-42-320 - Same as ATR-42-300 except max cruising speed 498km/h (269kt). ATR-42-500 - Cruising speed 563km/h (304kt). Max range 1850km (1000nm).

General Information
Aerospatiale and Aeritalia (now Alenia) established Avions de Transport Regional as a Groupement d'Intéret Economique under French law to develop a family of regional airliners. The ATR-42 was the consortium's first aircraft and was launched in October 1981.

The first of two ATR-42 prototypes flew for the first time on August 16 1984. Italian and French authorities granted certification in September 1985 and the first ATR-42 entered airline service on December 9 1985.

The initial ATR-42-300 was the standard production version of the ATR-42 family until 1996 and features greater payload range and a higher takeoff weight than the prototypes. The similar ATR-42-320 (also withdrawn in 1996) differed in having the more powerful PW-121 engines for better hot and high performance, while the ATR-42 Cargo is a quick change freight/passenger version of the 42-300.

The ATR-42-500 is the first significantly improved version of the aircraft and features a revised interior, more powerful PW-127Es for a substantially increased cruising speed (565km/h/305kt) driving six blade propellers, a 1850km (1000nm) maximum range, the EFIS cockpit, elevators and rudders of the stretched ATR-72 (described separately), plus new brakes and landing gear and strengthened wing and fuselage for higher weights. The first ATR-42-500 delivery was in October 1995.

Capacity
ATR-42 has Flightcrew of two. Maximum passenger accommodation for 50, 48 or 46 at 76cm (30in) pitch and four abreast. Typical seating arrangement for 42 at 81cm (32in) pitch.