Friday, February 13, 2009

Bombardier Dash 8 info v1.0

Bombardier Dash 8
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Dash 8 / Q Series

A 78-seat Q400 operated by Flybe (British European)
Role
Turboprop Airliner
Manufacturer
de Havilland CanadaBombardier Aerospace
First flight
20 June 1983
Introduced
1984 with NorOntair
Primary users
Air Canada JazzPiedmont AirlinesHorizon AirFlybe
Produced
1983-present
Number built
858 (as of 30 April 2008)[1]
Unit cost
Q200 USD$13 millionQ300 USD$17 millionQ400 USD$27 million[2]
Developed from
de Havilland Canada Dash 7
The Bombardier Dash 8 (formerly the de Havilland Canada Dash 8, sometimes abbreviated as DHC-8) is a series of twin-engined, medium range, turboprop airliners. Introduced by de Havilland Canada (DHC) in 1984, they are now produced by Bombardier Aerospace. Since 1996, the aircraft have been known as the Q Series, for "quiet". Over 900 Dash 8s of all models have been built.[2] Bombardier forecasts a total production run of 1,192 units of all Dash8/QSeries variants through the year 2016.[3]
Contents[hide]
1 Design and development
2 Operational history
2.1 Regional jet competition
2.2 Landing gear issues
3 Variants
3.1 Series 100
3.2 Series 200
3.3 Series 300
3.4 Series 400
4 Operators
4.1 Series 100
4.2 Series 200
4.3 Series 300
4.4 Series 400
4.5 Coast guard and military operators
4.6 Other applications
5 Notable incidents and accidents
5.1 Major landing gear incidents
6 Specifications
7 See also
8 References
8.1 Notes
8.2 Bibliography
9 External links
//

[edit] Design and development

DHC-8-102 of Air Inuit
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 Twin Otter concentrating on excellent STOL (Short Takeoff And Landing) and short-field performance, their traditional area of expertise. Using four medium-power engines with large four-bladed propellers resulted in very low noise levels which, combined with its excellent STOL characteristics, made the Dash 7 suitable for operating from small in-city airports, a market DHC felt would be compelling. However, only a handful of air carriers employed the Dash 7 as most regional airlines were more interested in operational costs than short-field performance.
In 1980, de Havilland responded by dropping the short-field performance requirement and adapting the basic Dash 7 layout to use only two, more powerful, engines. Their favoured 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 than 3800 hours of testing had been accumulated over two years on five PW100 series test engines. Certification of the PW120 followed in late 1983.[4]
Distinguishing features of the Dash 8 design are the large T-tail intended to keep the tail free of prop wash 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, and the airliner entered service in 1984 with NorOntair. Piedmont Airlines, formerly Henson Airlines, was the first US customer for the Dash 8 in 1984.
The Dash 8 design had better cruise performance than the Dash 7, was less expensive to operate, and much less expensive to maintain due largely to having only two engines. The Dash 8 had the lowest cost per passenger mile of any regional airliner of the era. It was a little noisier than the extremely quiet Dash 7, and could not match the superb STOL performance of its earlier DHC forebears, although still able to operate from small airports with 3,000 ft (1,000 m) runways, as against 2,200 ft (670 m) required by a fully loaded Dash 7.
April 2008, Bombardier announced the Classic versions (Series 100, 200, 300) will be out of the production line, making the Series 400 the only Dash 8 still in production. 660 Dash 8 Classic were produced, the last one was delivered to Air Nelson in May 2008[5].
Bombardier is studying development of a 90-100 seat stretch of the Q400 with two plug-in segments, currently called the Q400X project. In response to this project, ATR is also studying a 90-seat stretch.

[edit] Operational history

Planform view of a Flybe Q400 take off, showing the high aspect ratio wings, the slender nacelles (containing the main undercarriages) and the pointed nose.
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 regional airliners from the 1950s and 1960s was nearing retirement, leading to high sales figures. 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, as well as better position themselves to compete for a new Air Canada order for large intercontinental airliners.[citation needed] Air Canada was a Crown corporation at the time, and both Boeing and Airbus were competing heavily via political channels for the contract. It was eventually won by Airbus, who received an order for 34 A320 aircraft in a highly controversial move. The allegations of bribery are today known as the Airbus affair. Following their failure in the competition,[citation needed] Boeing immediately put de Havilland Canada up for sale. The company was eventually purchased by Bombardier in 1992.
The market demand for short-haul airliners was so great that Aerospatiale of France paired with Italy's Alenia to form ATR. Their once separate efforts combined to compete directly 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. Other companies competed with smaller or more tailored designs, like the Saab 340 and Embraer Brasilia, but by the time these were introduced the market was already reaching saturation.
All Dash 8s delivered from the second quarter of 1996 (including all Series 400s) include the Active Noise and Vibration Suppression (ANVS) system designed to reduce cabin noise and vibration levels to nearly those of jet airliners. To emphasize their quietness, Bombardier renamed the Dash 8 models as the Q Series turboprops (Q200, Q300 and Q400).
The Dash 8-100 is no longer in production, with the last Dash 8-102 built in 2005. Production of the Q200 and Q300 will cease in May 2009.[6]

[edit] Regional jet competition

Qantaslink Q400 in special scheme to raise awareness for breast cancer.
The introduction of the regional jet altered the sales picture. Although more expensive than turboprops, airlines can operate passenger services on routes not suitable for turboprops. Turboprop aircraft have lower fuel consumption and can operate from shorter runways than regional jets, but have higher engine maintenance costs, shorter ranges and lower cruising speeds.[7]
The market for new aircraft to replace existing turboprops once again grew in the mid-1990s, and de Havilland responded with the improved "Series 400" design.
When world oil prices drove up short-haul airfares in 2006, an increasing number of airlines that had bought regional jets began to reassess turboprop regional airliners, which use about 30% less fuel than regional jets. Although the market does not appear to be as robust as in the 1980s when the first Dash 8s were introduced, 2007 saw increased sales of the only two 40+ seat regional turboprops still in western production, Bombardier's Q400 and its competitor, the ATR series of 50-70 seat turboprops. The Q400 has a cruising speed close to that of most regional jets, and its mature engines and systems require less frequent maintenance, reducing its disadvantage.[8]
The aircraft breaks even with about 1/3rd of its seats filled (or 1/4 with more closely spaced seats), making it particularly attractive on routes with varying passenger numbers where many seats will be empty on some flights. For example, Island Air in Hawaii calculated that the use of a 50-seat Regional Jet would break even at 45 passenger seats compared to the Q400's 35-36 seats (around 55% breakeven load factor). Most short-haul routes are less than 350 miles (500 km), so the time spent on taxiing, takeoff and landing virtually eliminates a competing jet's speed advantage. As the Q400's 414 mph (667 km/h) cruise speed approaches jet speeds, short-haul airlines can usually replace a regional jet with a Q400 without changing their gate-to-gate schedules.[9]
Bombardier has singled out the Q400 for more aggressive marketing, launching a website centered around the aircraft.[10] The aircraft is also being considered for a further stretched version (currently designated Q400X) to compete in the 90-seat market range.[11]

[edit] Landing gear issues
On September 12, 2007, Bombardier recommended all Q400s with over 10,000 landings to be grounded for inspection of their landing gear after two non-fatal accidents within three days involving the landing gear of a Q400 series aircraft. Both incident aircraft were operated by Scandinavian Airlines, an early operator of the type.[12] This affected about 60 aircraft, out of 140 Q400s in service. In all, eight Q400s had landing gear failures while landing during 2007: four in Denmark, one in Germany, one in Japan, one in Lithuania and one in South Korea; see section Notable incidents and accidents. Following an incident at Copenhagen Airport, October 27, 2007, Scandinavian Airlines' executive board decided to permanently remove its entire Q-400 fleet from service. In a press release on 28 October, 2007, the company's president said: "Confidence in the Q400 has diminished considerably and our customers are becoming increasingly doubtful about flying in this type of aircraft. Accordingly, with the Board of Directors' approval, I have decided to immediately remove Dash 8 Q400 aircraft from service."[13][14][15] On March 10, 2008, SAS ordered 27 more aircraft from Bombardier in a compensation deal.[16]

[edit] Variants

[edit] Series 100

DHC-8-103Q of Ryukyu Air Commuter.
DHC-8-100 series
Original 37–39 passenger version that entered service in 1984. The original engine was the PW120A (CAA validated on 13 December 1985); later units used the PW121 (CAA validated on 22 February 1990). Rated engine power is 1,800 shp (1340 kW).
DHC-8-101
1984 variant powered by either two PW120 or PW120A engines and a 33,000 lb (15,000 kg) take-off weight.
DHC-8-102
1986 variant powered by either two PW120A or PW121 engines and a 34,500 lb (15,650 kg) take-off weight.
DHC-8-103
1987 variant powered by two PW121 engines and a 34,500 lb (15,650 kg) take-off weight (can be modifed for a 35,200 lb [15,950 kg] take-off weight)
DHC-8-106
1992 variant powered by two PW121 engines and a 36,300 lb (16,450 kg) take-off weight.
DHC-8M-100
Two aircraft for Transport Canada.
CC-142
Military transport version for the Canadian Forces in Europe.
CT-142
Military navigation training version for the Canadian Forces.[17]
E-9A
A USAF range control aircraft that operates out of Tyndall AFB, Florida to ensure that the military ranges in the Gulf of Mexico are clear of civilian boats and aircraft during live fire tests and other hazardous military activities. Two airframes are assigned to the base for the support of training missions.[18]

[edit] Series 200
DHC-8-200 Series
Series 100 airframe with more powerful Pratt & Whitney Canada PW123 engines (rated at 2,150 shp or 1,600 kW) for improved performance also capable of carrying 37 to 39 passengers.
DHC-8-201
1995 variant powered by two PW123C engines.
DHC-8-202
1995 variant powered by two PW123D engines.
Q200
Version of the DHC-8-200 with the ANVS system.

[edit] Series 300

Deicing a propeller on an SAS Q400, Växjö Airport, Sweden
DHC-8-300 Series
Stretched 3.43 m (11 ft) over the Series 100/200, a 50–56 passenger version that entered service in 1989. Its engines are PW123 or PW123B or PW123E, rated at 2,500 shp or 1,860 kW.
DHC-8-301
1989 variant powered by two PW123 engines
DHC-8-311
1990 variant powered by two PW123 engines
DHC-8-314
1992 variant powered by two PW123B engines
DHC-8-315
1995 variant powered by two PW123E engines
DHC-8-300A
Version of the DHC-8-300 with increased payload.
Q300
Version of the DHC-8-300 with the ANVS system.

[edit] Series 400

Flybe Q400 at Bristol Airport, Bristol, England.
Q400
Stretched and improved 70–78 passenger version that entered service in 2000. Its 360 knot (670 km/h) cruise speed is 75 knots (140 km/h) higher than its predecessors. Powered by PW150A engines rated at 5,071 shp (3,781 kW) at maximum power (4,850 shp or 3,620 kW maximum continuous rated). 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). All Q400's include the ANVS system.
Q400 NextGen
Version of the Q400 with updated cabins, lighting, windows, overhead bins, landing gear, as well as reduced fuel and maintenance costs.
Q400-MR
Q400 adapted to the water bombing role for the French Sécurité Civile.
DHC-8-400
1999 variant with a maximum of 68 passengers.
DHC-8-401
1999 variant with a maximum of 70 passengers.
DHC-8-402
1999 variant with a maximum of 78 passengers.

[edit] Operators
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

[edit] Series 100

A DHC-8-103Q Dash 8 of Ryukyu Air Commuter at Minami-Daito Airport on Okinawa
As of August 2006, 227 Dash 8 Series 100 aircraft remain in airline service, with 1 further order. Some 21 other airlines operate smaller numbers of Dash 8 Series 100.[19] Major operators include:
Aeroland Airways (1)
Air Canada Jazz (36)
Air Creebec (6)
Air Iceland (2)
Air Inuit (6)
Air Labrador (3)
Air Marshall Islands (1)
Air Niugini (2)
Air Service Gabon (4)
AIRES Colombia (1)
Airlines PNG (7)
Amakusa Airlines (1)
Arctic Sunwest (2)
Asia Pacific Airlines (PNG) (2)
Austrojet (1)
Canadian North (4)
FlyBe [20]
Era Aviation (4)
GMG Airlines (1)
Hawkair (3)
Island Air (6)
Leeward Islands Air Transport (14)
National Jet Systems (1)
North Cariboo Air (4)
Olympic Airlines (4)
PAL Express
Perimeter Aviation (2)
Piedmont Airlines (37)
Provincial Airlines (5)
QantasLink (9)
Regional 1 (3)
Ryukyu Air Commuter (4)
Royal Bengal Airlines (2)
United Airways (Bangladesh) (2)
Widerøe (17)
Vincent Aviation (1)

[edit] Series 200

Q200 B-17201 of Uni Air, Taiwan (RoC)
In August 2006, 72 Dash 8 Series 200 aircraft are in airline service, with 2 further orders. Major operators include:
Air Niugini (3)
AIRES Colombia (10)
Australia - Customs (6)
CommutAir (Continental Connection) (16)
Icaro Air (1)
Island Aviation Services (2)
Mesa Airlines (16)
Oriental Air Bridge (2)
QantasLink (3)
SATA Air Açores (2)
South African Express (12)
Tassili Airlines Algeria (4)
Uni Air (1)
U.S.Department of Homeland Security-Customs and Border Protection(CBP) (3)
Some 14 other airlines operate smaller numbers of Dash 8 Series 200.[19]

[edit] Series 300

Austrian airline InterSky Q300 at Berlin's Tempelhof International Airport

An Air Sénégal International Q300 at Banjul International Airport, The Gambia

Air Southwest Dash-8-300 lands at Bristol International Airport, Bristol, England
In August 2006, 214 Dash 8 Series 300 aircraft remain in airline service, with 13 further orders. Major operators include:
Abu Dhabi Aviation (4)[21]
Aero Contractors (5)
Air Canada Jazz (28)
Air Creebec (1)
Air Panama (1)
Air Niugini (3)
Air Nelson (21, 2 on order))
Air Nippon Network (5)
Air Nostrum (11)
Air Panama (1)
Air Philippines (3)
Air Service Gabon (1)
Air Southwest (5)
Air Tanzania (2)
AIRES Colombia (4)
Arik Air (3)
Augsburg Airways (3)
Australia - Customs (2)
Austrian Arrows (12)
Bahamasair (6) (Launch Customer)
Caribbean Airlines (5)
Denim Air (12)
GMG Airlines (2)
InterSky (4)
Island Aviation Services (1)
Leeward Islands Air Transport (14)
Petroleum Air Services (5)
PAL Express (3)
Piedmont Airlines (11)
QantasLink (10)
Widerøe (7)
Sunstate Airlines (6)
Uni Air (8)
Voyageur Airways (6)
Some 11 other airlines operate smaller numbers of Dash 8 Series 300.[19]

[edit] Series 400

Porter Airlines Q400 at Ottawa International Airport, Canada.

Flybe Q400 (G-JEDN) lands in Bristol, England.
As of April 2007, 140 Q400 aircraft are in airline service, with 215 orders. Major operators include:
Air Berlin (10 on order)
Air Nippon Network (14)
Arik Air (4 on order)
Augsburg Airways (9)
Austrian Arrows (10)
Colgan Air (14)
Croatia Airlines (2, 4 on order)
Flybaboo (2)
Flybe (38, 19 on order)
Frontier Airlines (as Lynx Aviation) (10, 10 on option)
Horizon Air (35, 13 on order, 20 on option)
Island Aviation Services (1)
Japan Air Commuter (9, 1 on order)
Jeju Air (5)
Luxair (3)
Malév (1, 7 on order, 4 on option)
Mozambique Airlines (1, 3 on order)
PAL Express (6)
Porter Airlines (6, 12 on order)
SATA Air Açores (10 on order)
Scandinavian Airlines System (as airBaltic and Widerøe) (14 on order)[22]
QantasLink (13, 7 on order, 24 on option)
Sky Work Airlines (1)[23]
South African Express (2)
Tassili Airlines (4)
Widerøe (5, 2 on order)
Some 17 other airlines operate smaller numbers of Dash 8 Series 400.[19]
In February 2007, Pinnacle Airlines Corporation announced an order for 15 Q400s on behalf of its recently acquired subsidiary, Colgan Air. The aircraft will be operated in a "codeshare" agreement with Continental Airlines, under the Continental Connection banner out of their Newark, New Jersey hub.[24]

[edit] Coast guard and military operators

CT-142 Dash 8 "Gonzo" from 402 Squadron, Canadian Forces, Winnipeg, Manitoba

USAF E-9A "Widget" over Tyndall Air Force Base
Aruba
Coast Guard of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba
Australia
Australian Coastwatch/Border Protection Division, Australian Customs Service
Canada
Canadian Forces - as CT-142 Dash-8 "Gonzo" navigation trainer[17], CC-142 Dash 8 transport (now retired)
Iceland
Icelandic Coast Guard - Dash-8 Q-300 maritime surveillance version, operational in 2009.[25]
Japan
Japan Coast Guard
Kenya
Kenya Air Force
Mexico
Mexican Navy
Netherlands Antilles
Coast Guard of the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba
Sweden
The Swedish Coast Guard will operate three Dash-8 300 maritime surveillance versions.[26]
United States
United States Air Force - two as the E-9A "Widget" [27]
U.S. Customs and Border Protection

[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 the fire season and as transport aircraft off season. The Q400 Airtanker can drop 10,000 L (22,000 lb)[28] 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.[29]

[edit] Notable incidents and accidents

A Dash 8 plane makes a belly landing at Kochi Airport on 13 March, 2007 after the front landing gear fails to come down.

This section documents a current event.Information may change rapidly as the event progresses.
9 June 1995: Ansett New Zealand Flight 703 from Auckland Airport to Palmerston North crashed on western slopes of the Tararua Ranges and 16 km east of Palmerston North airport during an instrument approach in inclement weather, four killed.
12 February 2009: Continental Airlines Flight 3407, operated by Colgan Air, from Newark Liberty International Airport to Buffalo Niagara International Airport crashed into a house in Clarence Center, New York, while preparing to land at BNIA. All 49 people on board including four crew and one off duty pilot, plus one person on the ground were killed. Two other people on the ground received minor injuries. The cause is under investigation.[30][31]

[edit] Major landing gear incidents
Main article: 2007 Dash 8 landing gear incidents
9 September 2007: The crew of Scandinavian Airlines Flight 1209, en route from Copenhagen to Aalborg, reported problems with the locking mechanism of the right side landing gear, and Aalborg Airport was prepared for an emergency landing. Shortly after touchdown the right wing gear collapsed and the airliner skidded off the runway while fragments of the right propeller shot through the cabin and the right engine caught fire. Of 69 passengers and four crew on board, 11 were sent to hospital, five with only minor injuries.[32][33][34] The accident was filmed by a local news channel (TV2-Nord) and broadcast live on national television. The video footage can be seen at YouTube.[35] About a month earlier the same aircraft had had to return to Copenhagen 10 minutes after departure due to problems with the indicator lights of the landing gear.[citation needed]
12 September 2007: Scandinavian Airlines Flight 2748 from Copenhagen to Palanga had a similar problem with the landing gear, forcing the aircraft to land in Vilnius. No passengers or crew were injured.[36] Immediately after this incident SAS grounded all their 33 Dash-8/Q400 airliners and, a few hours later, Bombardier recommended that all Dash-8/Q400s with more than 10,000 flights be grounded until further notice.[37]
27 October 2007: Scandinavian Airlines Flight 2867 en route from Bergen to Copenhagen had severe problems with the landing gear during landing in Kastrup Airport. Right wing gear did not deploy properly (or partially), and the aircraft skidded off the runway in a controlled emergency landing. The Q400 was carrying 38 passengers, two infants and four crew members onboard. No injuries were reported. The incident is being investigated by the civil aviation administration in Scandinavia and all Dash 8-400 aircraft within the SAS Group are grounded.[38][15] The preliminary Danish investigation determined this latest Q400 incident is unrelated to the airline's earlier corrosion problems, in this particular case caused by a misplaced O-ring found blocking the orifice in the restrictor valve.[39] On the next day, SAS permanently removed its entire Dash 8 Q400 fleet from service.[40]

[edit] Specifications
Series 100[2]
Series 200[41]
Series 300[42]
Series 400[43]
Unit Cost (US$)
$12.5 million
$13 million
$17 million
$27 million
Production & Orders
298
91
263
313
Entered Service
1984
1995
1989
2000
Aircraft dimensions
Overall length
22.25 m
25.68 m
32.81 m
Height (to top of horizontal tail)
7.49 m
8.3 m
Fuselage diameter
2.69 m
Maximum cabin width
2.03 m
Cabin length
9.1 m
12.6 m
18.8 m
Wingspan (geometric)
25.89 m
27.43 m
28.4 m
Wing area (reference)
54.4 m²
56.2 m²
63.1 m²
Basic Operating Data
Engines
2 PW120A/PW121
2 PW123C/D
2 PW123B
2 PW150A
Typical Passenger Seating
37 (Single Class)
50 (Single Class)
70 (Single Class)
Passenger Seating Range
37-39
50-56
68-78
Maximum Cruise Speed
310 mph (500 km/h)
334 mph (537 km/h)
328 mph (528 km/h)
414 mph (667 km/h)
Maximum Operating Altitude
25,000 ft (7,620 m)
27,000 ft (8,230 m)
Range (w/typical pax)
1,174 miles (1,889 km)
1,065 miles (1,713 km)
968 miles (1,558 km)
1,567 miles (2,522 km)
Range (w/LR tanks)
n/a
1,264 miles (2,034 km)
n/a
Takeoff run at MTOW
2,625 (800 m)
2,625 ft (800 m)
3,865 ft (1,178 m)
4,600 ft (1,402 m)
Design weights
Maximum takeoff weight
36,300 lb (16,470 kg)
43,000 lb (19,500 kg)
64,500 lb (29,260 kg)
Maximum landing weight
34,500 lb (15,650 kg)
42,000 lb (19,050 kg)
61,750 lb (28,010 kg)
Maximum zero fuel weight
32,400 lb (14,700 kg)
39,500 lb (17,920 kg)
57,000 lb (25,850 kg)
Maximum fuel capacity
3,160 l
6,526 l
Typical operating weight empty
10,483 kg (23,111 lb)
11,791 kg (25,995 lb)
17,185 kg (37,886 lb)
Typical volumetric payload
3,407 kg (7,511 lb)
5,138 kg (11,327 lb)
8,670 kg (19,114 lb)

[edit] See also
Related development
de Havilland Canada Dash 7
Comparable aircraft
Antonov An-24/Xian Y-7
Antonov An-140/HESA IrAn-140
ATR 42 and 72
CASA CN-235 and C-295
Dornier 328
Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia
Fokker F27 and F50
Ilyushin Il-114
Saab 340 and 2000
Short 330 and Short 360
Xian MA60
Related lists
List of airliners

[edit] References

[edit] Notes
^ Program Status Report - Q-SERIES
^ a b c Deagle.com production and cost information
^ Aviation Week & Space Technology issue for 29 October 2007, p. 65.
^ Kinsey, I. "Dash 8 is Born." Canadian Aviation magazine, June 1983.
^ http://www.airfleets.net/listing/dh8-14.htm
^ Bombardier to discontinue Q200/Q300 in 2009 Flight Global, 8 April, 2008. Retrieved: 9 April, 2008
^ Flug Review
^ Coco Masters. "Giving Props to the New Turbos". Time (magazine). http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1655707,00.html. Retrieved on 2008-11-16.
^ Q400 Performance Quote accompanying performance charts: "The Q400’s exceptional cruise speed, placing it on a par with jet block times up to over 400 miles (640 km), provides the flexibility needed to fly longer sectors."
^ Q400
^ Max Kingsley-Jones. "Dubai 2007: ATR floats idea of stretched model to tackle 90-seat sector". Flight International. http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2007/11/11/219400/dubai-2007-atr-floats-idea-of-stretched-model-to-tackle-90-seat-sector.html. Retrieved on 2008-11-16.
^ Ian Austen. "About 60 Bombardier Planes Grounded After Crash Landings". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/13/business/worldbusiness/13bombardier.html?_r=1&ref=business&oref=slogin. Retrieved on 2007-09-13.
^ SAS removes Dash 8 Q400 from service permanently
^ Elyse Moody. "SAS Permanently Grounds Q400s After Third Incident". Aviation Week. http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=mro&id=news/SAS10297.xml&headline=SAS%20Permanently%20Grounds%20Q400s%20After%20Third%20Incident. Retrieved on 2008-11-17.
^ a b Regarding Scandinavian Airlines flight SK 2867
^ "Bombardier settles claim with SAS over Q400 turboprops". CBC News. 2008-03-10. http://www.cbc.ca/money/story/2008/03/10/bombardiersas.html. Retrieved on 2008-08-27.
^ a b Department of National Defence (March 2007). "CT142 Dash-8". http://www.airforce.forces.gc.ca/site/equip/ct142/default_e.asp. Retrieved on 2008-10-22.
^ Staff Sgt. Bennie J. Davis III. "E-9A crews survey gulf, track missiles". http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123120257. Retrieved on 2008-10-22.
^ a b c d Flight International, 3-9 October 2006
^ "Timetable". FlyBe. http://www.flybe.com/timetableService/timetable.do. Retrieved on 2008-11-16.
^ Dhabi Aviation.htm "Fleet Abu Dhabi Aviation". airfleets.net. http://www.airfleets.net/flottecie/Abu Dhabi Aviation.htm. Retrieved on 2008-07-13.
^ SAS receives compensation and order new aircraft for fleet replacement
^ Sky Work Airlines to receive Bombardier Q400
^ Pinnacle
^ Icelandic Coast Guard Report
^ Sweden
^ "53RD WEAPONS EVALUATION GROUP". Tyndall Air Force Base. http://www.tyndall.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=4892. Retrieved on 2008-05-28.
^ Tanker conversion
^ Water bomber
^ "Plane crash in NY state kills 49". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7887555.stm. Retrieved on 2009-02-13.
^ Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (February 2009). "49 die as Bombardier plane crashes into Buffalo, N.Y.-area home". http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/02/13/plane-crash.html. Retrieved on 2009-02-13.
^ SAS-fly forulykket under landing (Danish)
^ Dansk fly nødlandet med 76 om bord (Danish)
^ "Regarding Scandinavian Airlines flight SK1209." Scandinavian Airlines release. Scandinavian Airlines, 9 September 2007. Retrieved: 9 September 2007.
^ Video of the SAS Dash8-Q400 incident at AAL, 9 September 2007
^ SAS Group (2007-09-12). Regarding Scandinavian Airlines flight SK2748. Press release. http://wpy.observer.se/wpyfs/00/00/00/00/00/0A/91/50/wkr0001.pdf.
^ Bombardier Makes Recommendations Following Recent Q400 Aircraft Right Main Landing Gear Incidents
^ Dash 8-fly forulykket i Kastrup Politiken
^ Havarikommissionen, LN-RDI - Preliminary Report, 3 November 2007. Retrieved: 15 November 2007.
^ Cite error: Invalid tag; no text was provided for refs named sas_20071028
^ Bombardier Q200 specifications, Retrieved: April 6, 2008.
^ Bombardier Q300 specifications, Retrieved: April 6, 2008.
^ Bombardier Q400 specifications, Retrieved: April 6, 2008.

[edit] Bibliography
Hotson, Fred W (1983). The De Havilland Canada Story. Toronto: Canav Books. ISBN 9780969070320. OCLC 9736398.
Kinsey, I. "Dash 8 is Born." Canadian Aviation magazine, June 1983.

[edit] External links

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Monday, February 9, 2009

"stand firmly with those soldiers who say the hell with this war"!!

posted by L-girl at we move to canada - 4 hours ago
Three war resister stories, all worth reading. From the *Nanaimo Daily News*: U.S. war resister Cliff Cornell was arrested on Wednesday after crossing the border from Canada into Washington State. Last...

Sunday, February 8, 2009

The Hotmail Team finally catches up

So, the following will be a critical in not unflattering analysis of the "new" features of Windows Live Hotmail.
  • Storage: Oh, thank you Microsoft, I now have 5 GB of storage. Whoopee! What took you so long? In comparison, Yahoo mail has unlimited storage, Google Mail / Gmail has over 7 GB of storage. Couldn't splurge for an extra 2 GB? Also, 5 GB have been available for a few years now so don't act like it's new.
  • POP3 access for USA & Brazil: Again, I am clapping my hands. It only took them how may years to add it to free accounts? Note of comparison, Gmail has had POP3 access since it was brought online in 2004. Hotmail has Yahoo mail beat in this regard as Yahoo has yet to make POP3 available for free. On a related note, Google offers IMAP support. To date, neither Hotmail or Yahoo offer this.
  • Advertisements less intrusive: For the most part, when the Quick Add window (more on that later) is open, there is no advertising to the right side of the reading pane. However when Quick Add is closed, advertising will appear which makes it about the same as before only in a different location. What's the point?
  • Quick Add: An now, the much exalted new feature. It's a small little window that will appear on the right side of the email window. This is to enable you to quickly look up addresses and directions to restaurants, hotels, travel reviews and other information which can to be inserted directly into your email by clicking a button. When open, it can squish the email window. The border between email and Quick Add does not seem well defined. In comparison, the nearest with a similar feature, namely Google, has the ability to recognize that that is a restaurant name or physical location you have mentioned in your message and if possible, recommend a mapping location and/or other related information that you can send along. It isn't as integrated and sometimes doesn't get the right country but most of the time it does. The advantage to Google's system is that it doesn't take up window space in email.
  • What's New feed: Microsoft has added this feed to Hotmail. You better hope that the feed servers are having a good day or it will increase the loading time when you are just trying to log in. As well, updates automatically appear which will increase the loading time. A way this might work better is the method that Yahoo uses. Yahoo will tell you there are feed updates and you can choose to see them or not thereby cutting down on loading time. Gmail doesn't have a direct feed of this type. I don't have a problem with this because I just want to check my email and not manage my entire social life.
  • Email signature in HTML: Wow! You can add HTML to your email signature? Oh, how original. To a certain degree, everyone who develops email applications, has this ability. Some allow you to be more creative then others, but they all do it. This is not exactly breaking news just Microsoft getting with the times, sort of.
  • Windows Live Web Messenger: So, Messenger will finally be integrated into Hotmail. Well I hate to break it to Microsoft but you are a couple years late with this marriage. Yahoo mail integrated Yahoo Messenger into their email years ago. All of the main power features of Yahoo Messenger have been fully integrated so you can either chat to a person on Yahoo Messenger through you Yahoo mail page and they can chat back to you and it will end up on your mail page so you don't even have to load messenger if you don't want to. On the other hand, Google also allows you to chat from inside your mail page. It also allows you to use video and audio chat through the mail inbox page which is better than just being able to chat through the page. Video and audio quality is extremely good. Google implemented these 2 features late last year so Microsoft is extraordinarily behind the integration curve. It's a bit pathetic it took them this long but at least they showed up at the party but they could be stuck with the cheque.
If you are still awake, this concludes the analysis and comparison of Windows Live Hotmail to it's competitors. For the purposes of full disclosure, I was a beta tested 2 versions back for Hotmail and I do not work for the aforementioned competitors although I wouldn't mind working for them. msdogfood@hotmail.com

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Microsoft rolls out major Windows Live Hotmail updates oh wow NOT!

Microsoft rolls out major Windows Live Hotmail updates

Sean Bradford 6 hours ago · 24 comments & 2620 views

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A few days ago we announced that Microsoft was finishing up Wave 3 of Windows Live. The Windows Live Hotmail team has announced that it is officially rolling out the last of the Wave 3 updates to all Hotmail customers. So what's being shipped with these updates?

More Storage
Customers now start out with 5GB of storage, but what if you need more? Your storage capacity will automatically increase as you need it. The team hasn't announced what the maximum capacity will be.

More markets get POP3 access
Customers in the United States and Brazil will shortly be given access to their e-mail via POP3. All other Windows Live Hotmail customers will be receiving POP3 access in the coming weeks. Click here for more information on Windows Live Hotmail POP3 access.

Advertisements are less intrusive
After month of beta testers and customers complaining that the advertisement on the top of the reading pane, the advertisement has been moved to the right side of the reading pane.

QuickAdd


Another new feature that is rolling out is "Quick Add". During Steve Ballmer's keynote, there was a short demo showing this new feature. So in case you missed the live stream, here we go.

Lets say that you're on vacation or a business trip and you just arrived to your destination. Your friends and family want to meet up later that night for dinner, but not everyone is familiar with the city. So you open Windows Live Hotmail and start preparing your e-mail with the time and place of your dinner affair, but you want to include the address and a link for directions. So you open up Quick Add while creating a new message.

Now you start your search for some nice restaurants for your affair. Once you've found your destination, you can either click "Insert" or "More Info". When you click "More Info" , you are brought to a Windows Live Search page. Once you've entered that page you will see a mapped location and some reviews if anyone has posted them. So now that you've picked your destination, you're ready to insert it into your e-mail by simply clicking "Insert".

So now you have the name, address, and more information ready for your friends and family. That is only one scenario that this new feature will be able to do. Consumers will also be able to search for business listings, videos, and images. The beauty of QuickAdd is that it's automatically loaded when you open a New Message, located on the right side of the message pane.

Other updates
If you've ever used Windows Live Homepage, you have probably became addicted to the "Whats New" feed. The "What's New" feed lists updates from your contacts that use social networks like Twitter, personal status messages, blog posts, shared favorites, and much more. So incase you're not a fan of the Windows Live Homepage but like the "What's New" feed, the Hotmail team has integrated it into the "Windows Live Hotmail Today" splash page when you login to your inbox.

There are 4 (that I can see) new themes for your Windows Live Hotmail inbox. The team has also updated existing themes to better suite its customers.

The last "officially" announced update is that you can now add a signature to your e-mails in HTML.

Now for the good stuff, which wasn't "officially" announced. Last week we covered a preview of Windows Live Web Messenger, which thousands of us have been waiting for for over a year now. Surprisingly it seems as if the official announcement left out Windows Live Web Messenger, but then again I recently spoke to a Microsoft employee who works on the Windows Live Help website who tells me:

"About the Integrated Web Messenger (add on) feature of Hotmail accounts, we can't give you a specific date as to when all hotmail accounts will be updated. I can tell you this though, right now, updates are being done as we speak (or in this case write, no pun intended). It won't be long now and all hotmail accounts would have been upgraded."

So if your account has access to Windows Live Web Messenger, let us know with some screenshots. Microsoft has noted that the updates mentioned above will be rolling out to all Windows Live Hotmail customers over the next few weeks, so if you're account doesn't have them you're not out of luck!

Friday, February 6, 2009

Thursday, February 5, 2009

posted by L-girl at we move to canada - 1 day ago
AP, emphasis mine. Stressed by war and long overseas tours, U.S. soldiers killed themselves last year at the highest rate on record, the toll rising for a fourth straight year and even surpassing the suic...