De Havilland Canada Dash 8
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- "Dash 8" is also a series of diesel locomotives built by GE; see List of GE locomotives
- The correct title of this article is de Havilland Canada Dash 8. The initial letter is shown capitalized due to technical restrictions.
| DHC-8 "Dash 8" | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Type | Regional airliner |
| Manufacturer | Bombardier Aerospace |
| Maiden flight | 20 June 1983 |
| Introduced | 1984 with NorOntair |
| Primary users | Air Canada Jazz (67) Piedmont Airlines (60) Horizon Air (49) Widerøe (30) Porter Airlines (10) |
The de Havilland Canada DHC-8, popularly known as the Dash 8, is a series of twin-turboprop airliners designed by de Havilland Canada in the early 1980s. They are now produced by Bombardier Aerospace which purchased DHC from Boeing in 1992. Since 1996, the aircraft have been known as the Q Series, for "quiet" due to installation of the Active Noise and Vibration Suppression (ANVS) system designed to reduce cabin noise and vibration levels to nearly those of jet airliners.
Contents |
[edit] Development
In the 1970s, de Havilland Canada had invested heavily in their Dash 7 project, creating what was essentially a larger four-engine version of their de Havilland Twin Otter concentrating on excellent STOL and short-field performance, their traditional area of expertise. However, only a handful of air carriers employed the Dash 7, as most regional airlines were interested primarily in operational costs, as opposed to short-field performance.
In 1980, de Havilland responded by dropping the short-field performance requirement and adapting the basic Dash 7 layout to be propelled by only two engines that produced more power. Their traditional engine supplier, Pratt & Whitney Canada, developed the new PW100 series engines for the role, more than doubling the power from their PT6. Originally designated the PT7A-2R engine, it later became the PW120. When the Dash 8 rolled out on 19 April 1983, more the 3800 hours of testing had been accumulated over two years on five PW100 series test engines. Certification of the PW120 followed in late 1983. [Dash 8 is Born, I. Kinsey, Canadian Aviation magazine, June 1983]
Distinguishing features of the Dash 8 design are the large T-tail intended to keep the tail free of propwash during takeoff, a very high aspect ratio wing, the elongated engine nacelles also holding the rearward-folding landing gear and the pointed nose profile. First flight was on 20 June 1983, while the airliner entered service in 1984 with NorOntair. Piedmont Airlines, formerly known as Henson Airlines, was the US launch customer for the Dash 8 in 1984.
The Dash 8 design had better cruise performance than the earlier Dash 7, was less expensive to operate, and more notably, much less expensive to maintain. The Dash 8 had the lowest cost per passenger mile of any feederliner of the era. The main disadvantage compared to the earlier Dash 7 was somewhat higher noise levels, but only in comparison, as the Dash 7 was notable in the industry for extremely low noise due to its four very large and slow-turning propellers. The Dash 8 also could not match the superb STOL performance of its earlier DHC forebears.
[edit] Market timing
The Dash 8 was introduced at a particularly advantageous time; most airlines were in the process of adding new aircraft to their fleet as the airline industry expanded greatly in the 1980s. The older generation of feederliners from the 1950s and '60s was nearing retirement, leading to high sales figures, though de Havilland Canada was unable to meet the demand with sufficient production. In 1988, Boeing bought the company in a bid to improve production at DHC's Downsview Airport plants and compete for a new Air Canada order for large intercontinental airliners.[citation needed] Air Canada was a crown corporation at the time, with Boeing and Airbus competing heavily via political channels for the contract. It was eventually won by Airbus, who received an order for 34 A330 and A340 aircraft in a highly controversial move. The allegations of bribery are today known as the Airbus affair. Following their failure in the competition, Boeing immediately put de Havilland Canada up for sale. The company was eventually purchased by Bombardier in 1992, cash flush after the success of the Canadair Regional Jet.
The market demand for short-haul airliners was so great that Aerospatiale of France paired with Italy's Alenia to compete with the Dash 8. The resulting ATR 42 was even less expensive than the Dash 8, but de Havilland Canada responded with newer models to close the gap. In the late 1980s, the ATR suffered a series of icing-related crashes that seriously affected its reputation and although it appears de Havilland Canada was consulted on fixing the problem, ATRs were never again a major competitor. Other companies competed with smaller or more tailored designs, like the Saab 340 and Embraer Brasilia, but these were not introduced until the market had already begun to saturate.
[edit] Regional jet competition
The introduction of the regional jet altered the sales picture. Although somewhat more expensive to buy than aircraft like the Dash 8, they can operate on routes that passengers would not be able to fly on a turboprop. Compared to regional jets, turboprop aircraft have lower fuel consumption and can operate from shorter runways, but suffer from comparatively higher engine maintenance costs, shorter range and lower cruising speeds.
When the market for new aircraft to replace existing turboprops once again grew in the mid-'90s, de Havilland once again responded with the introduction of the "Series 400" design. By this point, Bombardier had purchased the company, and in an effort to use a single brand the de Havilland Canada name was dropped and the aircraft became the Bombardier Q400. Although the market does not appear to be as robust as in the 1980s when the first Dash 8s were introduced, the Q400 is proving popular due to its higher cruising speeds, which makes it less disadvantaged against the regional jets, while continuing with ever-lowering operational costs.
The aircraft breaks even with about 1/3rd of its seats filled (or 1/4 in a tighter arrangement), making it particularly attractive on routes with varying passenger loadings where some flights will be largely empty. As a real world example, Island Air in Hawaii calculated that the use of a 50-seat Regional Jet would have a break even at 45 passenger seats. The Q400, though, would require only 35 to 36 seats (around 55% break even load factor). The flight times are short enough that the block times between the Q400 and a competing jet would be the same.
All Dash 8s delivered from the second quarter of 1996 (including all Series 400s) include an active Noise and Vibration Suppression (NVS) system designed to reduce cabin noise and vibration levels to nearly those of jet airliners. To emphasize their quietness, Bombardier has renamed the Dash 8 models as the Q Series turboprops (Q100, Q200, Q300, and Q400).
Bombardier has singled out the Q400 for more aggressive marketing, launching a website [1] centred around the aircraft.
[edit] Variants
There are several variants of the Dash 8:
- Series 100: Original 37–40 passenger version that entered service in 1984.
- Dash 8M-100 : Two aircraft for the Canadian Department of Transport.
- Series 200: Series 100 airframe with more powerful Pratt & Whitney Canada PW123 engines for improved performance also capable of carrying 37 to 39 passengers.
- Series 300: Stretched 3.4 m (11 ft) over the Series 100/200, a 50–56 passenger version that entered service in 1989.
- Series 300A : Version of the Series 300 with increased payload.
- Series 400: Stretched and improved 70–78 passenger version that entered service in 2000. Its 360 kt (670 km/h) cruise speed is 75 kt (140 km/h) higher than its predecessors. Powered by PW150A engines rated at 5,071 shp (3.7 MW) at maximum power. Maximum operating altitude is 25,000 ft (7,600 m) for the standard version, although a version with drop-down oxygen masks is offered, which increases maximum altitude to 27,000 ft (8,200 m).
- CC-142 : Military transport version for the Canadian Armed Forces in Europe.
- CT-142 : Military navigation training version, nicknamed "Gonzo" for the Canadian Armed Forces.
- E-9A : Two aircraft for the US Air Force.
[edit] Current Operators
- Series 100 In August 2006 a total of 227 Dash 8 Series 100 aircraft remain in airline service, with 1 further firm order. Major operators include: Air Canada Jazz (42), Air Creebec (5), Air Inuit (8), Air Labrador (3), Provincial Airlines , Arctic Sunwest (2), AIRES (4), Caribbean Star Airlines (3), Caribbean Sun (9), Era Aviation (4), Island Air (9), Leeward Islands Air Transport (5), Olympic Airlines (4), Piedmont Airlines (46), Regional One (4), Widerøe (17), Airlines of Papua New Guinea (7), Eastern Australia Airlines (9), Ryūkyū Air Commuter National Jet Systems (4) and Cirrus Airlines (4) . Some 22 other airlines operate smaller numbers of Dash 8 Series 100.[1]
- Series 200 In August 2006 a total of 72 Dash 8 Series 200 aircraft remain in airline service, with 2 further firm orders. Major operators include: Air Niugini (4), Eastern Australia Airlines (3), Horizon Air (28), Piedmont Airlines (9) and Mesa Airlines (14). Some 14 other airlines operate smaller numbers of Dash 8 Series 200.[1]
- Series 300 In August 2006 a total of 214 Dash 8 Series 300 aircraft remain in airline service, with 13 further firm orders. Major operators include: Bahamasair (8) (Launch Customer), Air Canada Jazz (25), AIRES (4), Air Nostrum (14), Air Southwest (5), Air Nippon Network (5), Augsburg Airways (6), Austrian Arrows (12), BA Connect (8), Cirrus Airlines (4), Caribbean Star Airlines (9), Denim Air (5), InterSky (6), Leeward Islands Air Transport (9), Piedmont Airlines (12), Eastern Australia Airlines (8), Sunstate Airlines (8), Uni Air (10), Aero Contractors (5), Voyageur Airways (3), South African Express (7), Petroleum Air Services (4), Air Nelson (8) Tobago Express (5) and Widerøe (9). Some 11 other airlines operate smaller numbers of Dash 8 Series 300.[1]
- Series 400 In August 2006 a total of 117 Dash 8 Series 400 aircraft remain in airline service, with 50 further firm orders. Major operators include: Air Nippon Network (9), Sunstate Airlines (5), Augsburg Airways (5), Austrian Arrows (10), Flybe (24), Horizon Air (21), Japan Air Commuter (8), Air Chathams (4), Air Freight NZ (5), Aeroperlas (3), Air Tahoma (6), Kelowna Flightcraft (7), Nolinor Aviation (7), Scandinavian Airlines System (24) and Widerøe (3). Some 17 other airlines operate smaller numbers of Dash 8 Series 400.[1]
- In February 2006, Porter Airlines announced that they had purchased 10 70-seater turboprops to service the Toronto Island Airport.
- Frontier Airlines announced, in September 2006, that they were purchasing 10 Q400's, taking delivery of the first plane in May 2007, with the total fleet expected to be in service by December 2007. They have an option for 10 more planes.
[edit] Military Operators
- Canada
- Kenya
- Netherlands Antilles & Aruba
- Coast Guard of the Netherlands Antilles & Aruba
- United States
[edit] Other Applications
Two used Q400s, acquired from Scandinavian Airlines System, were modified by Cascade Aerospace of Abbotsford, British Columbia for France's Sécurité Civile as fire-fighting water bombers in fire season and as transport aircraft off season. The Q400 Airtanker can drop 10,000 L (22,000 lb) of water in this role compared to Bombardier's CL-415 dedicated water bomber which can drop 6,140 L. The latter, however, is amphibious and requires less infrastructure.
Neptune Aviation of Missoula, Montana have acquired a Q300 as a prototype for future Q200/Q300 water bombers to replace current P2V aircraft.
[edit] Trivia
The Dash 8 was the first artificial intelligence (AI) aircraft in Flight Simulator 2002, implemented as a low-quality, traffic-only model. Users converted the model's configuration files to make it a flyable aircraft in the simulator, a modification that also worked in the subsequent 2004 edition. The aircraft is depicted in fictional colors for Airwave, American Pacific and Orbit Airlines.
[edit] Specifications (Q400)
Data from manufacturer’s website[2]
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Capacity: 68-78 passengers, depending on configuration
- Length: 107 ft 9 in (32.84 m)
- Wingspan: 93 ft 3 in (28.42 m)
- Height: 27 ft 5 in (8.34 m)
- Wing area: 679 ft² (63.08 m²)
- Empty weight: 37,888 lb (17,185 kg)
- Useful load: 26,612 lb (12,070 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 64,500 lb (29,257 kg)
- Powerplant: 2× Pratt & Whitney Canada PW150A turboprops, 5,071 shp (3,781 kW) each
Performance
- Cruise speed: 360 knots (414 mph, 667 km/h)
- Range: 1,362 nm (1,567 miles, 2,522 km)
- Service ceiling: 25,000 ft (7,620 m)
- Power/mass: .157 hp/lb (.257 kW/kg)
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Flight International, 3-9 October 2006
- ^ Specifications. Q400.com. Retrieved on 2006-03-06.
- Hotson, Fred W. The de Havilland Canada Story. Toronto: CANAV Books, 1983. ISBN 0-07-549483-3.
[edit] External links
[edit] Related content
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: |
Related development
Comparable aircraft
- ATR 42 and 72
- Dornier 328
- Embraer EMB-120
- Fokker F27 and F50
- Saab 2000 and 340
Designation sequence
See also
Gipsy Moth • Tiger Moth • Fox Moth • Mosquito • DHC-1 Chipmunk • DHC-2 Beaver • DHC-3 Otter • DHC-4 Caribou • DHC-5 Buffalo • DHC-6 Twin Otter • DHC-7 Dash 7 • DHC-8 Dash 8
