Cruz5350

.......delete......

Sounder

What's a typical cruise fuel burn on the saab 2000?

SurferLucas

HUDS?

Did you guys have the HGS in the Saab 2000's at CrossAir? It looked like an HCP in one of the pics.

saab2000

Yes, we had a HUD on the captain's side and it was generally used for Cat IIIa approaches but was approved for en route usage as well. Very useful. The control was on the center console to program the info for the actual approaches. I remember a number of times we used it down to near mins and one time in Paris at CDG where we saw the runway really at mins, which was a 50' DH, based on the radar altimeter. With a regular Cat 1 approach we would not have made it in.

They get really, really thick fog in parts of Europe.

As to the fuel burn question? I honestly don't remember anymore.... But looking at one of my pics I zoomed in. And during climb it was 630 KG/hour on one side and 640/hr on the other. Multiply that times 2.2046 and you'll end up with roughly 1390-1400 lbs per side per hour. That is less than the CRJ, without doubt. Of course, in the CRJ, one covers more ground per hour as well, clouding the issue.

Also, the current fuel savings program we're running at my current company has us pulled back in cruise to some fairly reduced speeds and we're doing burns in the 1100-1200 lb/hour/side range.

So I'm thinking that the CRJ at 50 seats is not really that far off the SAAB2000 when pulled back to econ speeds, and the econ speeds are still at least as fast as the SAAB was at max cruise speed.

There's a lot to the fuel question in my estimation..... Not an easy question to answer, though the SAAB probably ultimately burns less.

FLowpayFO

saab2000, what made you leave Europe to come fly in the US?

SurferLucas

That's awesome!

We have the same system in the Q400's at QX, and had the system in the Dash 8-100/Q200 and CRJ-700.

I wasn't aware that CrossAir or the Saab 2000 had them, learn something new every day!

Tom a Hawk

yeah seriously, so clean! I cleaned every nook and cranny on the center console in one of our saabs on a long delay and it took nearly twenty minutes....

and yeah the chart clips, jumpseat and cupholders are the same crummy ones as on the 340. that must be something like a 4 oz cup to fit inside that thing. like the one you got with punch in it at a middle school dance where the assistant principle comes around and tells the kids dancing to "Leave room for Jesus!"

saab2000

I got furloughed and there was no work in Europe. I was born in the US and so I returned. When I was recalled I had lost my work permit and I didn't really pursue getting it back as I was close to upgrade here.

There are positive things about the job in both places and negatives in both places. I think I earn more money here but we also work far, far harder in the US, with longer duty days and more intense flying, at least on the east coast at my current employer. Operationally there's no comparison - Europe wins. But some of the perks we have in the US are far better. For example, jumpseating as we know it in the US does not exist in Europe. If I wanted to go somewhere I had to go to the Staff Travel office and get a ZED or ID90 ticket and it was a hassle.

I get more days off in the US too. Work harder when I'm on duty, but I only work more than 15 days a month if I choose to do so. Over there we had 11 days off per month and it was pretty much always just 11 days off. Everyone sits reserve about 4 days per month, so it's not just low-seniority people.

The nicest thing about working there was the professionalism of the operation, which was generally far better than in the US. The other great thing was there there is a night flight ban at most European airports, meaning that you don't fly all night just because you're running late. There is generally an end in sight if you have fallen behind. I have finished here in the US at 3AM and once at 4AM on duty days which had started 14 or 15 hours earlier. That is inconceivable in Europe and so I definitely miss that aspect of it. The most legs I ever did in Europe was 6 and that happened once. Here it is the norm to have at least one 6-leg day per trip and it is often more than that.

Otherwise it's kind of a wash with plusses and minuses to both places. But answer the question? I was born in the US and grew up here but I lived there for about 15 years and learned how to fly there, so coming to the US was a bit of a shock even though it shouldn't have been. I came to the US with really no knowledge of US aviation. After nearly 8 years at a US 'regional' carrier (I hate that word.....) I now have a better understanding......