Fuel Economy - Bring Back The Turbo-prop?
Reading this thread which is trying to justify flying with minimum fuel in order to save fractions of a percent in fuel burn makes me think that with margins so tight there ought to be a case for the return to the good old turbo-prop!
Despite improvements in gas turbine efficiency with high bypass ratio fans for short haul and mid haul ops you can't beat the air miles per gallon (or whatever units you prefer) achieved even by "old" technology engines such as the RR Dart.
I know that turbo-props are slower than the whizzy A318s/19s/20s etc. or the NG 737's but if flying slower meant flying cheaper then perhaps the SLF would accept it. Stll, it won't make the argument go away - there will still be the argument as to what is the prudent min fuel to upload. IMHO that is a cockpit responsibility and must remain at the crew's discretion....it will be a poor reflection on an airline's management should that cease to be the case.
One final though, maybe this should be posted on the History and Nostalgia page!! Were they really the good old days when there were Vicounts, Vanguards, Britannias etc. dominating the fleets?