#Dash 8-Q400

[nocternalrandomness]

"Q400"

[rorytait]

Sydney Park

On the way to the airport we stopped at Sydney Park for lunch, a walk, and some planespotting.

This is yet another place I hadn't been before, so it was cool to check it out.

[16 October 2022]

[frozenbassist]

Flying the Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 to Bergen

[runwayrunway]

No. 43 - Porter Airlines

I consider myself very lucky to live near enough to an airport, located directly beneath one of the main departure paths, that I can regularly see airplanes flying overhead on their way off to wherever. Depending on the plane, they can pass over my house as low as 3,000 feet! ...which is still way too high for my phone's camera! So while I can see the plane decently, even make out details of the livery, what my camera sees is...this.

Okay, so my planespotting hobby mostly consists of literally spotting them (I am very good at this part! It's the photography that I struggle with!) because I'm unable to shell out for a telephoto lens, but thanks to the magic of flight tracking software I'm able to identify the exact airplane that this is, rather than being forced to base my review off this crunchy "photograph".

So, I'd like to introduce you all to our subject for today, C-GLQR! And, by extension, Porter Airlines - requested by @fungaloids, plus an anon.

First flown in February of 2009 and delivered in December of the same year, C-GLQR has served her entire fourteen-year career with Porter Airlines. She's actually only slightly younger than the airline itself. Porter was founded in 2006, featuring executives who formerly served in similarly high positions in Canadian regional airlines Air Ontario and Canada 3000, American Airlines, and...apparently the former US ambassador to Canada for some reason. They're about as large as you can get while still more or less being a regional airline, and they fly a fleet I'd call medium-sized of Embraer E195-E2 jets and an even larger number of Bombardier Dash 8-Q400 turboprop planes, like the pictured C-GLQR, out of their hub in Toronto.

One interesting thing about Porter (inconsistently stylized as lowercase-p porter, but it lacks the clear intent of something like condor so I'm not going as far as to write it that way myself) is said hub. See, when I say Toronto, you probably think of the worst airport in the entire world, Toronto Lester B. Pearson International Airport. Thankfully for Porter's customers they do not have to go to the labyrinth of human misery which is Toronto Pearson, and are instead corralled into Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, colloquially known as Toronto Island Airport, potentially because it's changed its name twice and the local population got sick of remembering what it's calling itself now.

image: DXR

The 'island' designator is quite literal. This is a teeny tiny airport, just barely large enough to land the Q400 and definitely too small to land jets. The fact that Porter flies to Chicago-Midway, Washington-Dulles, and Boston-Logan is a testament to the Q400's absolutely wild range rather than an indication that this tiny scrap of land is in any meaningful way an international airport. It has two runways and both are shorter than the ones at the smallest airport I've ever flown into that had an actual terminal, Vieques. I'm surprised they can operate a Q400 there. In fact, they can't - they had to pick a seat configuration smaller than the standard in order to be able to use the runways at Billy Bishop. (Incidentally, this means their seats have a more generous pitch, so I suppose that's a point for them.)

So why would they want to put the biggest passenger turboprop in service in the West onto this tiny airstrip? Well, Porter's...reason for existing, so it seems, is to force the Toronto Port Authority to expand the airport and build a bridge to the mainland despite the fact that nobody who lives in the area wants this. Hilariously, they have been entirely unsuccessful in this venture and now operate a second hub in Pearson. That's where they put the jets - after all, if you tried to land an E195-E2 at Toronto Island you would have a very wet plane and some very mad passengers on your hands very quickly.

I mean, to be fair, getting to not go to Pearson is a selling point.

I don't have any other place to put this but they have an adorable raccoon mascot named Mr. Porter. I'm not sure why a raccoon, but I like him. He doesn't appear on the livery at all - heaven forbid we do something interesting - but he's there and he's cute. I do have to point out, though, that this is one of the worst names for SEO I've seen in a while, given Mr. Porter is the name of the men's department of extremely popular luxury fashion outlet shop Net-a-Porter.

I think raccoons could be a pretty nice source of inspiration for a livery, what with their colorblocking and stripes. You could even make the planes' engine cowlings look like weirdly human little hands. I would hate that, but I would respect it! Instead Porter has taken the approach of making the plane mostly white. Revolutionary for sure.

I'll begin with the good and say that I really like this grey underside with its little outlines - I think this is an absolutely brilliant design for the Dash 8. Unlike the ATR series, which I've talked about a fair few times before on this blog, the Q400 is about as angular as a plane can get. I've never touched on that shape before, but I've discussed how carriers, though I'm sure it's by accident and they never consider this, work with the shape of the ATR to good effect. The curvaceousness of the ventral fairing on the ATR is complemented by long swoops like the ones used by Azul, IndiGo, and Air Astra. The Q400, in contrast, stores its landing gear in the engine cowlings, allowing for a very flat belly and uninterrupted fuselage that looks best with sharp long lines and blocky geometric shapes. If this livery had any other details, this would be such a nice touch - they even hammer the point in with the same design on the bottom of the cowlings.

Unfortunately, it's so light-colored that it's difficult to notice. You could mistake it for shadows settling on natural grooves in the airframe if you didn't know what the bottom of a Q400 is supposed to look like, and it isn't as if you can see it when the plane is parked.

You may well not see the wordmark, either. While the sans-serif font chosen is almost gratingly boring it is at least not hideous, but it's located in such an out-of-the-way location it almost feels like they're ashamed of it. It's so needlessly far back and low-sitting that the wing blocks it from half the possible angles, and it's not like it's accentuated in any way. You could so easily miss it. This wordmark is honestly Lufthansa-tier.

Another thing I don't like is the use of the tail. It's blocked out very Detached Tail Syndrome style, refusing to engage with the large block leading from it to the fuselage. I would understand, though not approve, if this was because they didn't want to redesign the balance of the tail when applying the livery to a new style of plane, but the Q400 is what they started with! The livery was designed for this plane and it seems to want you to just not notice this significant chunk of fuselage! It makes the whole airframe look so desolate and empty. The kindest thing I can say for it is that it looks lazy, but really it looks more unfinished. I just struggle to understand why these choices were made, in all honesty. Surely this isn't the best you can do.

Right, right, okay. There's something I've been dancing around on purpose and I think it's obvious what it is. I just wanted to get in an entire review first because there's sort of no going back once I've mentioned it. Everything I said before, while very important, is subordinate to this one...utterly perplexing choice which turns failure to infamy.

PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER PORTER

Grade: Z-

[aviaposter]

De Havilland Dash 8-Q400 National Jet Express operated by Cobham Aviation Services

Registration: VH-IYJ Type: Dash 8-402Q Engines: 2 × PW PW150A Serial Number: 4539 First flight: Oct 30, 2016

National Jet Express, formerly Cobham Aviation Services, is an Australian charter airline and aviation services provider with its headquarters in Perth, Western Australia. National Jet Express Pty Ltd was established in 1994 as a subsidiary of National Jet Systems to operate charter and scheduled services under National Jet’s own branding. In 2009, National Jet Express was rebranded to Cobham Aviation Services Australia - Regional Services to align its branding with the broader Cobham group. In 2023, the airline revived its National Jet Express branding. It operates dedicated scheduled charter services across its regional network, transporting fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) personnel for clients in the resources industry. These services are operated using the Embraer E190 and Bombardier Dash 8-Q400 aircraft.

Poster for Aviators. aviaposter.com

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 8.10 (affter 1950)

1953 – First Indochina War: The French Union withdraws its forces from Operation Camargue against the Viet Minh in central Vietnam. 1954 – At Massena, New York, the groundbreaking ceremony for the Saint Lawrence Seaway is held. 1961 – Vietnam War: The U.S. Army begins Operation Ranch Hand, spraying an estimated 20 million US gallons (76,000 m3) of defoliants and herbicides over rural areas of South Vietnam in an attempt to deprive the Viet Cong of food and vegetation cover. 1966 – The Heron Road Bridge collapses while being built, killing nine workers in the deadliest construction accident in both Ottawa and Ontario. 1969 – A day after murdering Sharon Tate and four others, members of Charles Manson's cult kill Leno and Rosemary LaBianca. 1971 – The Society for American Baseball Research is founded in Cooperstown, New York. 1977 – In Yonkers, New York, 24-year-old postal employee David Berkowitz ("Son of Sam") is arrested for a series of killings in the New York City area over the period of one year. 1978 – Three members of the Ulrich family are killed in an accident. This leads to the Ford Pinto litigation. 1981 – Murder of Adam Walsh: The head of John Walsh's son is found. This inspires the creation of the television series America's Most Wanted and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. 1988 – Japanese American internment: U.S. President Ronald Reagan signs the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, providing $20,000 payments to Japanese Americans who were either interned in or relocated by the United States during World War II. 1990 – The Magellan space probe reaches Venus. 1993 – Two earthquakes affect New Zealand. A 7.0 Mw  shock (intensity VI (Strong)) in the South Island was followed nine hours later by a 6.4 Mw  event (intensity VII (Very strong)) in the North Island. 1995 – Oklahoma City bombing: Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols are indicted for the bombing. Michael Fortier pleads guilty in a plea-bargain for his testimony. 1997 – Sixteen people are killed when Formosa Airlines Flight 7601 crashes near Beigan Airport in the Matsu Islands of Taiwan. 1998 – HRH Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah is proclaimed the crown prince of Brunei with a Royal Proclamation. 1999 – Los Angeles Jewish Community Center shooting. 2001 – The 2001 Angola train attack occurred, causing 252 deaths. 2001 – Space Shuttle program: The Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on STS-105 to the International Space Station, carrying the astronauts of Expedition 3 to replace the crew of Expedition 2. 2003 – The Okinawa Urban Monorail is opened in Naha, Okinawa. 2009 – Twenty people are killed in Handlová, Trenčín Region, in the deadliest mining disaster in Slovakia's history. 2012 – The Marikana massacre begins near Rustenburg, South Africa, resulting in the deaths of 47 people. 2014 – Forty people are killed when Sepahan Airlines Flight 5915 crashes at Tehran's Mehrabad International Airport. 2018 – Horizon Air employee Richard Russell hijacks and performs an unauthorized takeoff on a Horizon Air Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 plane at Seattle–Tacoma International Airport in Washington, flying it for more than an hour before crashing the plane and killing himself on Ketron Island in Puget Sound. 2018 – An anti-government rally turns into a riot when members of the Romanian Gendarmerie attack the 100,000 people protesting in front of the Victoria Palace, leading to 452 recorded injuries. The authorities alleged that the crowd was infiltrated by hooligans who began attacking law enforcement agents. 2019 – Thirty-two are killed and one million are evacuated as Typhoon Lekima makes landfall in Zhejiang, China. Earlier it had caused flooding in the Philippines. 2019 – Philip Manshaus shoots his stepsister and attacks a mosque in the Bærum mosque shooting. 2020 – Derecho in Iowa becomes the most costly thunderstorm disaster in U.S. history.

[akouga]

SkyAlps: Νέα σύνδεση Μπολτσάνο – Κέρκυρα

Tη νέα σύνδεση Μπολτσάνο – Κέρκυρα, εισήγαγε στο θερινό πρόγραμμα πτήσεων για το 2024 η αεροπορική εταιρία SkyAlps. Οι πτήσεις θα πραγματοποιούνται από τις 21 Ιουνίου έως τις 20 Σεπτεμβρίου με συχνότητα μία φορά την εβδομάδα και με αεροσκάφος Dash 8-Q400. http://dlvr.it/T5369w

[fafou-le-voyageur]

Mardi 16 Janvier :

Je me réveille au son des pigeons qui roucoulent dans le palmier de la guesthouse.

Il fait une averse avant que j'aille prendre mon petit déjeuner. J'ai confirmation en discutant avec la charmante gérante Caterina, que je suis bel et bien le seul client.

Je discute avec elle et elle me donne quelques conseils et les horaires du bus pour l'aéroport.

Je pose ensuite mon sac près du salon et m'en vais balader en ville. Je passe par les deux belles églises que j'avais repérées hier soir. Les façades sont très belles.

Dans la deuxième, Santa Casa da Misericordia, un homme de la communauté religieuse me fait un peu la visite. Cette église a brûlé en 1921 et a été entièrement refaite et unifiée.

En effet, depuis le XVe siècle c'était bien deux églises qu'il y avait dans le même bâtiment : Igrega do Espirito Santo et Igrega do Santo Cristo.

Revenu sur le front de mer je m'y arrête pour boire un café. Je m'attaque ensuite à l'ascension de la petite colline pour rejoindre le point de vue Miradouro do Facho.

Depuis ce promontoire on voit très bien la baie et la ville de Praia da Vitória. En redescendant je passe près de jolies vaches dans leur beau paysage de pâturages séparés par des murailles en pierre volcanique.

Près d'un autre Miradouro je suis obligé de me mettre à l'abri derrière une muraille car il arrive de nouveau une nouvelle averse. Je suis juste au dessus du rivage en haut d'une falaise.

Je retourne vers la ville et trouve porte close au restaurant d'hier soir, dommage, j'aurai bien goûté d'autres de leurs plats.

Je trouve une alternative non loin de la guesthouse, le café Etis, où je prends le plat du jour (du poisson en sauce bien cuisiné servi avec une salade de patates) et un genre de beignet fourré à la crème pâtissière au citron appelé "filhose", prononcez "filoche".

Je récupère ensuite mon sac de voyage et rejoins l'autobus face au lycée. En dix minutes j'y suis. J'ai encore 45 minutes avant mon vol.

Le vol est dans un Dash 8, Q400, à hélices, 80 places assises avec une bonne marge pour les genoux. Je suis vers l'avant de l'avion. On ne prend que peu d'altitude et le vol ne dure qu'une vingtaine de minutes.

Je récupère mon sac et prends un taxi jusqu'à la guesthouse. Je suis accueilli par la propriétaire qui m'accompagne à ma chambre triple.

Je discute un moment avec un américain qui est là avec son père (venu acheter la maison juste en face) et qui m'explique qu'en Californie, où ils vivent, il y a une grosse communauté açorienne.

Je pars ensuite le balader et fais trois courses dans un supermarché où j'achète mon couteau (c'est devenu une tradition avec mon habitude de partir sans bagage en soute).

Je me renseigne chez un loueur de voiture (35 euros contre 30 euros pour un scooter), sympa, j'en prendrai peut-être une après demain de midi à midi, comme ça je pourrai y dormir.

Quand je reviens à la guesthouse je me prépare un sandwich (avec des bolos levedos, pains briochés des açores) avec du jambon Serrano et le fromage local de Sao Jorge qui est là grande fierté de l'île.

Il est en effet bien bon. Une clémentine pour finir et c'est bon pour ce soir. Je regarde un peu les randonnées possibles et les heures de bus puis regarde un peu la télé et tombe sur le 1er transporteur avec Jason Statham.

[petzah394]

This is what the dash 8 200 looks like to me

Just a tiny little squished lengthwise thing

Why does it have such big engines for such a tiny plane

Looks like a q400 Photoshopped to be hilariously short but this is what the actual plane looks like

a small jet side-eyes you on the taxiway

Big thanks to TORHusky for the kofi donation and drawing suggestion!!

[nocternalrandomness]

De Havilland Canada Dash 8 Q400 arriving at Osaka International Airport, Japan

[russelldesigner]

The #Bombardier #Dash 8 - Q400 is a different #aircraft. It's a dual #turboprop #airplane with particularly low CO₂ footprint. Also, it has a great Short Take-off and Landing Capability for a big aircraft. Also, it makes less #noise. This is the #PhotoOfTheDay.

[frozenbassist]

The Dash-8 Q400 goodbye flight. This plane was LOT Polish Airlines last turboprop, and even though it was tiny and cramped, some passengers loved this plane. Personally, I flew a turboprop a few times and it wasn’t a good passenger experience for me - it was loud and cramped, and had so little legroom. But I’m a jet lover, so I am a bit biased against turboprops.

These planes were far more efficient than their jet counterparts, but tiny regional jets like the CRJ-700 or EMB-170 were faster and gave a much better passenger experience Turboprops are quite rare now, and it’s sad to see them go. Goodbye LOT Dash-8. You will be missed

[runwayrunway]

at luxembourg airport they have these little models of various luxair planes

I'm admittedly a bit jealous I've never seen these at an airport before, which I think is likely because I'm a 'find the gate and never go anywhere' type of person, but maybe that's a good thing because I would be spending 35 euro on Luxair de Havilland Dash 8 Q400 model.

[aviaposter]

Embraer 195-E2 Porter Airlines

Registration: C-GKQJ Type: 190-400 STD Engines: 2 × PW PW1921G Serial Number: 19020069 First flight: Aug 23, 2022

Porter Airlines is a Canadian airline headquartered at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport on the Toronto Islands. The airline began operations at the Toronto Islands airport in 2006 using a fleet of De Havilland Canada Dash 8-Q400 turboprop aircraft to serve major Canadian cities within reach of Toronto. In December 2022, Porter received the first five Embraer E195-E2 jets out of 50 previously ordered. With the restriction of jet traffic at Toronto Island Airport, Porter launched flights from Toronto Pearson Airport to new destinations in Western Canada (Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary) and augmented its service to existing Eastern Canada destinations (Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax) that are already served by Dash 8-Q400 aircrafts from Toronto Island.

Poster for Aviators. aviaposter.com

[air-and-seas-blog]

De Havilland Canada DHC-8-400 OE-LGN von Max Kroner Über Flickr: ©Air-Sea-Spotter.eu - Alle Rechte vorbehalten

[klonatans]

In Anticipation of Crémant, Findel, Luxembourg, 05.2017