MidlandRed.net

I've been quite busy over the last 4 weeks travelling around. Last weekend I needed to be in Scotland for a few days, and while I have previously driven up I was limited for time so I took the sensible option and flew from Birmingham to Edinburgh.

I flew with Flybe in their fleet of Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 twin-turboprop aircraft (G-PRPE out, G-PRPH back) and I must say I was very impressed. As a child and teenager I used to regularly fly to the Channel Islands on propeller aircraft and they were always very noisy (too loud to hold a conversation) and bumpy, but these were a world apart.

The aircraft was smooth, quiet and very comfortable. The previous weekend I flew from Bucharest on a more conventional 737-400 and I was expecting the turboprops to be rather more agricultural, but to my surprise it was nicer. There is also the added bonus that they cruise at around 24,000ft so there is always a view out of the window if you like that sort of thing.

I use Flybe quite a lot between Birmingham and Glasgow and between Birmingham and Amsterdam and i totally agree with Adam H's comments. The Dash 8 is my favourite turboprop plane. Lovely and fast on take off. I always try and book seat 3A as i like the turboprop and engine noise!

We travelled on a Dash from Birmingham to the Isle of Man and back a couple of years ago and I agree with the comments of the two Adams.

Mind you we almost didn't make it as the tow bar on the tug collided with the front of the aircraft as it was hitching up. A loud bang and quite a judder indicated that something had happened, the captain got out, inspected the front of the aircraft, eventually declared himself satisfied and we proceeded to take off. As Adam H says, it's good to be able to cruise at an altitude where you can recognise most of what's beneath you.

We stayed in the same quite posh hotel as the Flybe crews and it seemed slightly odd that they got overnight stays even when most of the flights to the IoM are only short hops from the mainland. Perhaps First should put 144 drivers up overnight at the Crown Plaza in Birmingham.