Aircrafttotal Encyclopedia

The ATR 42 is a regional airliner produced by Franco-Italian manufacturer ATR, with final assembly in Toulouse, France. On 4 November 1981, the aircraft was launched with ATR, as a joint venture between French Aérospatiale (now part of Airbus) and Aeritalia (now Leonardo S.p.A.). The ATR 42-300 performed its maiden flight on 16 August 1984 and type certification was granted during September 1985. Launch customer Air Littoral operated its first revenue-earning flight in December of that year. The high-wing airliner is powered by two turboprop engines, Pratt & Whitney Canada PW120s. The number "42" in its name is derived from the aircraft's original standard seating capacity of 42 passengers. Later variants are upgraded with new avionics, a glass cockpit, and newer engine versions. The ATR 42 is the basis for the stretched ATR 72, introduced in October 1989.

During the 1960s and 1970s, European aircraft manufacturers had, for the most part, undergone considerable corporate restructuring, including mergers and consolidations, as well as moved towards collaborative multinational programmes, such as the newly launched Airbus A300. In line with this trend towards intra-European co-operation, French aerospace manufacturer Aérospatiale and Italian aviation conglomerate Aeritalia commenced discussions on the topic of working together to develop an all-new regional airliner. Prior to this, both companies had been independently conducting studies for their own aircraft concepts, the AS 35 design in the case of Aerospatiale and the AIT 230 for Aeritalia, to conform with demand within this sector of the market as early as 1978..

Introduction

On 3 December 1985, the first production aircraft, designated as the ATR 42-300, was delivered to French launch customer Air Littoral, with the first revenue service, between Béziers Cap d'Agde Airport and Paris Orly airport taking place on 23 December. During January 1986, already confident of the ATR 42's success and of the demand for an enlarged version of the aircraft, ATR announced that the launch of a programme to develop such an aircraft, which was designated as the ATR 72 to reflect its increased passenger capacity.

By the end of 1986, the ATR 42 had accumulated a sizable backlog of orders, which in turn led to a ramping up of the type's rate of production. During August 1988, ATR's marketing efforts in the lucrative North American market resulted in the securing of a large order of 50 ATR-42-300s from US operator Texas Air Corporation; that same year, another American regional carrier, Trans World Express, received the 100th production aircraft. On 1 July 1989, ATR opened their new global training centre for the type in Toulouse, which provided centralised and modern facilities for the training to airline staff and other personnel across the world. During June 1999, the ATR global training center became one of the first European institutions to be recognised as a Type Rating Training Organization, as defined by the Joint Aviation Authorities.

AirbusVIP Airliner

Airbus Industries S.A.
Airbus Aérospatiale ATR 42-600.
Manufactured 1984–present; 1985 First flight 16 August 1984

General characteristics

Exterior Height : 24 ft 11 in
Wing Span : 80 ft 7 in
Length : 74 ft 5 in

Interior

Cabin Length : 45 ft 5 In

Occupancy

Crew : 2
Passengers : 42

Powerplants

Max T/O Weight : 36817 Lb Max Landing Weight : 36156 Lb Operating Weight : 23369 Lb Fuel Capacity : 1513 gal Lb Payload Useful : 10141 Lb Range Max Range : 480 nm Service Ceiling : 25000 ft

Specifications

Range Max Range : 480 nm Service Ceiling : 25000 ft Distances Takeoff Distance : 3412 ft Landing Distance : 3380 ft Performance Normal Cruise : 267 kts

Aircraft of comparable role

Antonov An-140 De Havilland Canada Dash 8 Series 300 Fokker 50 Saab 2000 Xian MA60

Airbus Industries
Aérospatiale ATR 42-600
Manufactured 1984–present First flight 16 August 1984

Aérospatiale
ATR 42-600