De Havilland Canada DHC-8

De Havilland Canada · Canada · first flew 1983 · airliner

The de Havilland Canada DHC-8, widely known as the Dash 8, is a twin-turboprop regional airliner built for short-haul commuter routes.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — WingsHigh-mounted, tapered
E — Engines2 × turboprop, wing-mounted
F — Fuselagelong, slender fuselage tapering to a pointed nose
T — TailT-tail

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

The high wing, prominent underwing turboprop nacelles and T-tail distinguish it from low-wing regional jets.

Specifications

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

First flown in 1983, the Dash 8 followed de Havilland Canada's earlier STOL transports with a more conventional, higher-speed regional airliner design, and went on to become one of the best-selling turboprop airliners ever built.

Variants

The family grew from the original Series 100 through the larger, stretched Series 300 and the fast, long-fuselage Q400.

Where you'll see it

It remains a mainstay of regional airlines worldwide, especially on shorter routes where jets are less economical.

Related aircraft

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