Most Challenging Regional Aircraft??

[John Pennekamp]

EMB-120 Brakillya. Hands down.

V1 cut, no autofeather? Good frickin' luck. Just try to hit the ground wings level.

Icing? Get out quick if it's more than just frost. Don't slow below 160kt lest the ground rise up an smite thee.

Props blowing up or overspeeding to 200%Np? Ya never know... ASA had an overspeed a couple months before they went away, still not sufficiently explained.

Flying characteristics... very stable at cruise. Like a Corvette on a icy road any time else.

Landing characteristics... flaps 25 not too bad. Go to 45 and they'll feel it in Shanghai.

Turbulence... knock your teeth out. That stiff wing.

Hot hot hot. Cockpit temps above 90 in flight not uncommon here in Dixie.

 

[ASADriver]

EMB-120 Brakillya. Hands down.

V1 cut, no autofeather? Good frickin' luck. Just try to hit the ground wings level.

Icing? Get out quick if it's more than just frost. Don't slow below 160kt lest the ground rise up an smite thee.

Brasilia is tough, but any good pilot can handle the V1 cut without the autofeather. It also will haul some ice. Not that I advocate flying around with a lot of icing, but it does OK. It is definately the hardest airplane I flew, but if you are a good pilot, you can do a V1 cut without the autofeather.

 

["GO AROUND"]

Brasilia is tough, but any good pilot can handle the V1 cut without the autofeather. It also will haul some ice. Not that I advocate flying around with a lot of icing, but it does OK. It is definately the hardest airplane I flew, but if you are a good pilot, you can do a V1 cut without the autofeather.

Sure, anyone can do it in the SIM when you are ready for it and the conditions are simulated.

Try one on a 98 degree day and at the limits of performance and weight. Talk to us about that. Your last name Yeager?

 

[Beanie]

you could lose the autofeather and make it on the E-120 if you where on your game. Did anyone have their instructor fail the autofeather and go to manual reversion on the rudder??? Now that was about the toughest thing I ever saw in the sim...Took both pilots pushing on the rudder pedal to keep it straight. Legs where like jelly when we got out of the sim. Was a lot of fun to fly though.

 

[Hpilot]

Three pages of this thread and not one vote for the Sewerpipe? WTFO? Must have been before ya'lls time?

Not before my time thanks to 5yrs of Big Sky. Left a Chieftain and C-340 that had auto-pilots(but didn't need them) to the Metro(needed one). No yaw dampner either. Add to that:
-3 foot wing extensions to add needed lift for take-off. Opps we forgot to carry out the ailerons with that.
-dual SAS computers and vanes with a 60 lb. yolk pusher. Cause if you stall you're dead.
-Water injection and JATOs, because the upside down redesigned APUs(TPE-331) don't have enough power.
The sick thing is I have fond memories of flying it.

 

[pilotmyf]

your mom

Happy 13th B-day!!!!

 

[suupah]

Any turbo prop because you make so little money you are doing it with three hours of sleep because of the second job as a PDS has you up late at night.

 

[81Horse]

The sick thing is I have fond memories of flying it.

Well, that's like beating your head against the wall -- it feels so good when you stop.

The early Jetstreams had the water-meth, too (or WeeWee, for you Metro drivers); they didn't have JATO bottles, though, so ... you win!

edit to add: I do not understand why so many of you are voting for the Brasilia. It had Y/D, autopilot, autofeather, APU, catering, coffee, a flight attendant -- and, most importantly, a biffy. Y'all never had to walk to school, did ya?

 

[CarjCapt]

I love the day I left the "weed dart" especially the ones with the McCauley Props (almost took me to the weeds) and went to the E120 and had my overspeed (be it after landing) the left prop went to 108 percent. I respected both aircraft they we unique in their abilities and faults. Oh yes the manual reversion and v1 cuts in the E120 were leg killers.

My vote is for the SA-227 because as the FO I was FA as well.

My vote is for the E120 because the FAs enjoyed the vibrations.

Can't decide........

 

[John Pennekamp]

Brasilia is tough, but any good pilot can handle the V1 cut without the autofeather. It also will haul some ice. Not that I advocate flying around with a lot of icing, but it does OK. It is definately the hardest airplane I flew, but if you are a good pilot, you can do a V1 cut without the autofeather.

Sure, anyone can do it in the SIM when you are ready for it and the conditions are simulated.

Try one on a 98 degree day and at the limits of performance and weight. Talk to us about that. Your last name Yeager?

No, his last name is Dudley.

Yes, my 6 month FO probably has more experience flying the line than Biscuit. But the procedure works great in the sim! And the sim ALWAYS flys just like the airplane!