Hughes H-4 Hercules
Hughes · Preserved, flew once, 1947
Length66.65 m
Wingspan97.54 m
Height24.18 m
MTOW180,000 kg
What it means
The category, explained
The propeller era produced aircraft of a scale that still surprises people. Piston and turboprop giants carried the ambitions of their age: the Bristol Brabazon's ocean-liner luxury, the Hughes H-4's 97.54-metre wingspan, and the Tu-114's 770 km/h, still the fastest a propeller airliner has ever flown.
The giants are gone, but propellers never left. On short regional routes the turboprop is simply the better answer: the ATR 72 and the Dash 8-400 burn roughly half the fuel of a comparable jet for a journey barely any slower, and they work short, steep runways that jets cannot touch. Over 1,800 of the two are flying today.
The aircraft
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Bristol Brabazon
Bristol · Prototype only, scrapped 1953
Length53.95 m
Wingspan70.10 m
Height15.24 m
MTOW131,542 kg
Tupolev Tu-114
Tupolev · Retired
Length54.10 m
Wingspan51.10 m
Height15.50 m
MTOW175,000 kg
De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400
De Havilland Canada · In service
Length32.83 m
Wingspan28.42 m
Height8.34 m
MTOW30,481 kg
ATR 72
ATR · In production
Length (ATR 72-600)27.17 m
Wingspan27.05 m
Height7.65 m
MTOW23,000 kg
Side by side
Ranked by length
| Aircraft | Length | Wingspan | First flight | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hughes H-4 Hercules | 66.65 m | 97.54 m | 1947 | Preserved, flew once, 1947 |
| Tupolev Tu-114 | 54.10 m | 51.10 m | 1957 | Retired |
| Bristol Brabazon | 53.95 m | 70.10 m | 1949 | Prototype only, scrapped 1953 |
| De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 | 32.83 m | 28.42 m | 1998 | In service |
| ATR 72 | 27.17 m | 27.05 m | 1988 | In production |