Turboprops-time has not passed yet.

Recommendation for the acquisition of an aircraft

Performed by:

Víctor Amores Medianero (Strategic Planning Assessor)

23 April 2014

Directed to: Supervisor of the Strategic Planning Department

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Summary

This technical report recommends the acquisition of a turboprop as a new aircraft for

an airline company.

I have tried to make an analysis of the current situation of the air transport market and

I also have tried to highlight the main characteristics that are going to be necessaries

for the future in order to cover the coming needs.

The report explains how the fuel consumption has passed to be a key factor in a world

in which the price of fuel is increasing and how the regional market is growing

considerably. Under these assumptions the turboprop is the better election in order to

offer regional flights with a lower price than the offered by the regional jets.

Table of contents

List of figures:

Figure 1: Price of the Kerosene (ϒ Charts database)……..Page 4

Figure 2: motor-propulsive efficiency (ETSIA NOTES) ……Page5

Glossary

1. JPATS: Joint Primary Aircraft Training System

2. ηp : propulsive efficiency

3. ηM: motor efficiency

4. ηMP: motor-propulsive efficiency

5. CE: Specific consumption

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Introduction

Turboprops, which until 1960s covered short range flights, with 50-passengers capacity

and maintaining high fuel efficiency, were about dead when in the 1980’s 70-seats

turboprops were competing with renewed jets in combination with a dipped in the fuel

prices.

On the other hand turboprops had been often considered noisy, old fashioned and

uncomfortable; furthermore average passenger seems to not like turboprops for many

different reasons. An example of this fact is found at the late 1980s with the

appearance of the JPATS, which found cheaper and more efficient way to instruct

military pilots, refused the turboprops despite the fact this system was suitable in cost

to develop the task.

Nowadays the price of the fuel has been increasing considerably, it is for this and other

reasons the turboprop is an increasing viable alternative for regional jet.

The aim of the report is to analyze the different aspects that make the turboprops a

profitable acquisition for the coming years.

Firstly this document presents the needs of air transport in the future as well as the

most relevant factors to be taken into account. Secondly it compares the turboprops

and the jets. Finally there are some concluding remarks which try to point the best

option for the future aircraft purchase.

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Body of the report

Middle section of the report

Some factors are going to guide the air transport in the next years some of them are

presented below:

1) Price of the Kerosene

Figure1: Price of the Kerosene (ϒ

Charts database)

As you can see in the Figure 1, in the latest years the price of the Kerosene (jet fuel)

has increased without control. An eightfold rise in fuel prices at 2013 indicates that it

is necessary to find alternatives which allow airliners to maintain reasonable prices.

2) Operation

On the one hand North American / European Regional flights, whose airports are

heavily congested, are essential. On the other hand other forecasts point an increase

of this type of operations in Latin America, whose airports’ runways are not well

equipped.

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In order to find a suitable response for the demand, a brief description of turboprops

and jets is provided below.

A comparison between jet and turboprops reveal that every type of engine is made

with a specific purpose, it means that both are suitable but for different requirements.

One of the most important point is that at low speeds turboprops are more fuel

efficient than jets. As you can see in figure 2 placed down, at low speeds the jet’s ηp is

so poor, that is the reason for the creation of the turboprop which keep a good ηp at

low speed. At high speeds the transonic effects appears and the propeller starts to be

unattractive. (See Appendix 1)

Figure 2: motor-propulsive efficiency (ETSIA NOTES)

Another key point is that the turboprop is able to develop high thrusts at low speeds,

which is very important to reduce the takeoff distance. In addition turboprop requires

less distances for landing and presents better responses operating with uneven

ground. All these facts ease the airports operation reducing the requirements and the

time spent.

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In contrast jets are faster than turboprops (withstanding higher velocities); also they

are less noisy and have more passenger and cargo capacity.

Despite the fact the speed is a notable disadvantage, this is not so important in short

range. On the other hand vibrations and noises are planned to be reduced. New

generation 90-passenger turboprops models seem to be a good option for regional

flights.

Concluding Remarks

This report has tried to do an overview of the future requirements in the air transport

for the coming years. Remarkable facts are the increase in the fuel price and the need

to cover demand in regional flights, which mainly need high frequencies with not

prepared airports. A final conclusion is the suitability of a new generation of

turboprops, whose forefathers covered perfectly the requirements of low fuel

consumption at low speeds and short times required at takeoff, also including the

improvement for some of its weaknesses (noise, vibrations, and low capacity)

becoming a preferable election in a market in which short ranges make fuel efficiency

primordial versus higher speeds.

In my opinion a competitive airline which wants to cover the demand of the short

range in a suitable way must include as one of their priorities the acquisition of new

generation turboprops in other to be prepared for the coming needs.

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REFERENCES

1) Aviation Week & Space Technology (August 05, 2013)

2) Aviation Week & Space Technology (August 19, 2013)

3) Aviation Week & Space Technology (July 29, 2013)

4) http://www.taringa.net/posts/ciencia-educacion/15499522/Funcionamiento-de-los-motores-turbohelice.html

5) http://www.aero.upm.es/departamentos/economia/investiga/informe2005/informe_2005_pdf/4_2Industria_Aeroespacial_AvionesRegionales.pdf

6) http://www.nosoloaviones.com/blog/?p=1230

7) http://www.caribbeannewsdigital.com/noticia/mercados-emergentes-y-regionales- cobran-importancia-para-latinoamerica-ante-la-crisis-en-eur

Appendices

Appendix 1

The importance of the parameter mentioned is that if the ηpgrows consideringηMas

constant the ηMp=ηM×ηp grows and as the same form fuel efficiency increase so the

consumption of fuel decreases. This result is obtained using the following formula:

CE∝1ηMP

Where the CE is the specific consumption

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