A turbine blade with a generally hollow airfoil (110) having an outer wall (133) that defines a chamber (122) for receiving cooling air, the airfoil (110) comprising a leading edge (112) that resides in an upstream direction, a trailing edge (118) that resides in a downstream direction, a convex suction side (116), a concave pressure side (114), and an insert (128) disposed within the chamber (122) that is configured to initially receive at least a portion of the cooling air entering the chamber (122) and direct the cooling air through a plurality of insert apertures (130) to cool the inner surface of the outer wall (133), the insert (128) further comprising a configuration that generally conforms to the contour of the outer wall (133) of the chamber (122) but in spaced relation thereto, wherein the chamber (122) and insert (128) narrow as they extend toward the trailing edge (118), the insert (128) eventually terminating and the chamber (122) eventually terminating at a pin array section (152), wherein a first distance exists that comprises the generally axial distance between the position of downstream termination point of the insert (128) and the position of an upstream beginning point of the pin array section (152), wherein the pin array section (152), at a downstream end, comprises a plurality of openings that define an inlet to a plurality of trailing edge cooling apertures (144), and wherein the chamber (122), the insert (128), and the pin array section (152) are configured such that the first distance is approximately minimized.