Username Protected wrote:
Having owned and flowed both Pratt and Garrett Planes I much prefer the Garretts except for noise and starter battery life.
7000 hr TBO is very appealing cost wise. Significant fuel savings while you wait ain't bad either.
People that have not flown behind both, only behind the PT-6, prefers it by a wide margin!
BTW, yes the Garretts are more noisy on the ground, and the ground personnel can do the Garrett salute (fingers in the ear), but once power is applied and in the air, they seem just as quiet as any other plane - everyone thinks my 441 at 300 knots is more quiet than my 421 was at 200 knots! My 441 with Garrett's at say 220 to 265 knots is VERY quiet! So airspeeds should be taken into account, I think, for noise comparisons. But again, maybe it is comparing apples to oranges since all these planes have had so many interior and different soundproofing insulation options installed.....
