Refueling time
A MASwings' ATR 72-500 turboprop short haul aircraft being refueled at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport. Little did I know that I would be boarding this connecting flight to Tawau, en route to Kuala Lumpur.
This plane was much quieter than I expected; compared to the old bone jarring Fokker Friendship F.27 operated by the former Malaysia Airline System in the 80s!
The ATR 72-500 is a pressurized turboprop with a service ceiling of around 25,000 feet which is more than adequate to clear the peak of Mount Kinabalu, the tallest mountain in SE Asia @ 13,455 feet. I could see the mountain during the flight as it doesn't fly as high as the Boeing 737-400/800. The weather was fine with no air turbulence during the journey. :-)
MASwings is a regional carrier and the ATR 72-500 is much more economical to fly to remote destinations within Borneo, including some cities in neighboring Kalimantan, Indonesia. Smaller towns in Borneo usually have shorter runways which rule out bigger jet aircraft, which need a longer take off and landing distance.
While this plane cannot fly directly from Kota Kinabalu to Kuala Lumpur crossing the South China Sea, it could only do so by refueling at the Kuching International Airport. The distance from Kuching to Kuala Lumpur is 810 kilometers, well within its operating range.
Single engined sea planes generally have non-pressurized cabins, including the twin turboprop DHC-6 Twin Otter, so they'll have to fly no more than 14,000 feet to avoid high altitude sickness due to the lower oxygen content. Low altitudes also mean having to fly into bumpy clouds and experiencing rougher atmosphere, which in turn means you'll wanna hold on to that barf bag. :o)
Refueling time
A MASwings' ATR 72-500 turboprop short haul aircraft being refueled at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport. Little did I know that I would be boarding this connecting flight to Tawau, en route to Kuala Lumpur.
This plane was much quieter than I expected; compared to the old bone jarring Fokker Friendship F.27 operated by the former Malaysia Airline System in the 80s!
The ATR 72-500 is a pressurized turboprop with a service ceiling of around 25,000 feet which is more than adequate to clear the peak of Mount Kinabalu, the tallest mountain in SE Asia @ 13,455 feet. I could see the mountain during the flight as it doesn't fly as high as the Boeing 737-400/800. The weather was fine with no air turbulence during the journey. :-)
MASwings is a regional carrier and the ATR 72-500 is much more economical to fly to remote destinations within Borneo, including some cities in neighboring Kalimantan, Indonesia. Smaller towns in Borneo usually have shorter runways which rule out bigger jet aircraft, which need a longer take off and landing distance.
While this plane cannot fly directly from Kota Kinabalu to Kuala Lumpur crossing the South China Sea, it could only do so by refueling at the Kuching International Airport. The distance from Kuching to Kuala Lumpur is 810 kilometers, well within its operating range.
Single engined sea planes generally have non-pressurized cabins, including the twin turboprop DHC-6 Twin Otter, so they'll have to fly no more than 14,000 feet to avoid high altitude sickness due to the lower oxygen content. Low altitudes also mean having to fly into bumpy clouds and experiencing rougher atmosphere, which in turn means you'll wanna hold on to that barf bag. :o)