Well since my name has been mentioned in dispatches and since I confess to being responsible for selling a number of ATPs, I suppose I should say
something.
We (in the sales dept.) became aware of the ATP's shortcomings as it began to enter service. Fortunately Manx, in particular, were the most adept (initially) at locating and dealing with the problems which the type suffered. The sobriquets which were attached to the aircraft have been done to death; this is not the first time the issue of the ATP has been debated on this forum and there is little more to be said. I do not disagree with many of the comments regarding its operating difficulties, but I certainly disagreed with the decision to move production to Prestwick; this had more to do with politics than practicality.
As we know, 65 were built, two were lost, which leaves 63. Of those, some are 'stored', and approximately 40 (depending on whose information you trust) are still operational. More than 30 years have passed since the first flight and if it was such a huge disaster, how come 2/3rds of them are still operating, albeit largely as freighters, but then don't many airliners end their lives as freighters anyway?