The story
ATR launched the -600 series in October 2007, and the prototype ATR 42-600 first flew in March 2010. From the outside it is the same 74-foot, 48-seat airframe as the ATR 42-500. The changes are mostly inside: a glass cockpit with five wide LCD screens, uprated PW127M engines with a takeoff boost function, lighter seats and bigger overhead bins. Tanzania's Precision Air took the first one in November 2012.
On paper there is no such model. Europe's safety agency treats the ATR 42-600 as an ATR 42-500 fitted with modification 5948, the new avionics suite, and '600' is ATR's marketing name.
Quick answers
How do you identify a ATR 42-600?
An ATR 42 is the short ATR: about 74 ft against the ATR 72's 89 ft, so the high wing looks long for the body. Six-bladed propellers rule out the early -300 and -320, which have four. Telling a -600 from a -500 from the ground is close to impossible because the difference is in the cockpit, so the operator and the airframe's age are your best clues.
What does a ATR 42-600 sound like?
Six-bladed props with a smooth, even thrum, softer than the old four-blade ATRs.
How many people does the ATR 42-600 carry?
Typical configuration: 48 (1-class).
How far can the ATR 42-600 fly?
Range is about 726 nmi (48 passengers).
How big is the ATR 42-600?
It is 74 ft 5 in long and 80 ft 7 in across the wings.
When did the ATR 42-600 first fly?
Its first flight was in 2010.
How many ATR 42-600s have been built?
75+ built.
How rare is a ATR 42-600 in Bogey?
COMMON. Everyday traffic. You will catch plenty of these, and every first catch still counts. Your first ATR 42-600 catch is worth 25 points.
