Bombardier Q400

Speaking at the SpeedNews Commercial Aviation Industry Suppliers Conference in Los Angeles, Scott said, "We will build a bigger version of this airplane. It is just the timing to be determined." Responding to a question from the audience, he said, "We're looking at how big, 90 or 100 seats, and should it be a simple stretch or more? Over the course of the next 12-24 months we will sort that out."

Pratt & Whitney Canada signals backing for Q400 stretch

Pratt & Whitney Canada expects turboprops to increase in popularity despite the industry downturn and is well positioned to work with Bombardier on the stretched version of its Q400, according to Senior Manager-Marketing Communications Pierre Boisseau.

Bombardier Commercial Aircraft President Gary Scott, speaking two weeks ago at the SpeedNews Commercial Aviation Industry Suppliers Conference in Los Angeles, said the manufacturer would be ready to deliver a 90/100-seat Q400 by 2013-14 and that further details will be hammered out over the next two years (ATWOnline, March 11).

"At this point in time we don't have specific specs for that future application . . .but clearly the [PW150A] engine we have powering the Q400 right now has some capacity to provide more power if it actually meets their requirements for the program," Boisseau told ATWOnline yesterday at Pratt & Whitney's Hartford headquarters. "If not, there's more technology investment that can be done on the existing engine to build a derivative of the PW150 that we currently use on the Q400."

He said that "there has been some conversation" with Bombardier about the Q400 stretch and that the airframe manufacturer "knows the engine that's currently being used for the Q400 has some possibility or flexibility to provide more power." But he said P&WC would be willing to build a derivative if necessary. The PW150A currently offers a maximum 5,071 shp.

"I think Bombardier is having tremendous success with their Q400s, which are benefiting the airlines that want to take advantage of them," Boisseau said. "This has always been, at least for the past 5-10 years, a growing segment for Pratt & Whitney Canada, and we will certainly continue to focus on that because I think there's a lot of growth potential as well."

Bombardier lance un programme de mise à jour de ses avions Dash-8

MONTREAL — Bombardier (TSX:BBD.B) a lancé jeudi un programme visant à prolonger l'espérance de vie de ses avions turbopropulsés Dash 8 originaux, lesquels, dans certains cas, ont plus de 15 ans.
Le programme de prolongation de service du constructeur montréalais d'avions permettra aux appareils visés d'être utiles pendant au moins une décennie de plus.
Les premiers Dash 8-100, des avions de 37 à 39 places, sont entrés en service en 1984. Le programme permettra d'allonger leur vie utile de 40 000 cycles (décollages et atterrissages), à un maximum de 120 000 cycles.
Quelque 240 Dash 8-100 sont utilisés à travers le monde et environ une centaine d'entre eux ont déjà franchi le cap des 50 000 cycles.
Certains de ces appareils sont exploités par le transporteur norvégien Wideroe's Flyveselskap AS, qui sera le premier client du programme d'entretien prolongé.
"L'entrée en service de nos premiers avions Dash 8-100 remonte à 1993, et chacun d'entre eux compte environ 60 000 cycles de vol. Le programme d'entretien devrait prolonger de 10 à 12 années encore la vie utile de ces avions", a affirmé dans un communiqué le chef de la direction de Wideroe, Lars Kobberstad.
Selon le vice-président aux programmes d'avions commerciaux de Bombardier, Benjamin Boehm, le programme se fondera sur des analyses structurales et techniques conduites à partir de données exhaustives d'essais et de fatigue des structures des avions Dash 8. Les clients pourront ainsi tenir compte de l'information fournie et prévoir le remplacement de certains composants structuraux et des systèmes.
Le programme pourrait éventuellement être élargi et s'appliquer aux appareils Dash 8-200 et Dash 8-300, qui approchent le cap des 80 000 cycles de vol.
L'action de Bombardier prenait jeudi après-midi 13 cents à la Bourse de Toronto, où elle se transigeait à 4,98 $.

A stretch version of Bombardier's Q400 turboprop remains of "high interest" to existing and potential customers, a top programme official says.
The 90-seat aircraft - dubbed the Q400X - "is going to be a very versatile airplane", Gordon Pratt, Bombardier's Q400 programme director told ATI in a recent interview.
"In terms of seat mile costs, it has the potential to be a tremendous airplane," he says.
Bombardier has not yet formally launched the Q400X programme, but management previously said it is eyeing possible introduction of the type in the 2013-14 timeframe.
Generally, Bombardier sees a "steady and increasing market" for turboprops going forward, including in the United States, says Pratt.
Between early 2000 and December 2009, the Canadian airframer delivered 65 standard Q400s to US operators, including to Alaska Air Group subsidiary Horizon, Pinnacle Airlines subsidiary Colgan and Frontier Airlines.
While the 11 Q400s operated by former Frontier unit, and now Republic Airways subsidiary, Lynx Aviation are being culled from Republic's fleet, Bombardier "clearly believes there is a role for the Q400 in North America", says Pratt.
He points out that the Q400 "enters services that were either previously flown by jets or are still flown by jets and are being supplemented by turboprops at different times of the day".

Aug. 23 (Bloomberg) -- Bombardier Inc. said it’s directing carriers to inspect most of their Q400 turboprop aircraft for cracks or corrosion in engine casings after an unidentified airline found a fault in that area this year.

Of more than 300 planes in service globally with 30 carriers, about 222 need to be examined for fatigue, corrosion or stress in the engine casings, which are attached to the landing gear on the Q400, John Arnone, a Bombardier spokesman, said by telephone today. The Q400, the largest turboprop in the market, has been in service since 2000.

About 60 percent of the inspections have been completed since Montreal-based Bombardier issued service bulletins in April and July, Arnone said. Of those, the “potential for issues” was found in less than 4 percent, and corrective measures are under way or finished, he said.

“It’s a potential structural issue that could impact the aircraft’s operations,” Arnone said. “There have been no incidents yet.”

The cracks have “absolutely no relationship” to the landing-gear collapses that caused three crashes in 45 days in 2007 for Scandinavian airline SAS Group AB, Arnone said. Though both “potentially” involve corrosion, the parts are different and weren’t made by the same supplier, he said.

The current defect affects “a structural attachment to the aircraft inside the nacelle,” or engine casing, Arnone said. “It has nothing to do with the extension or retraction of the landing-gear system.”

Temporary Groundings

Bombardier is the world’s third-largest commercial-jet maker following Airbus SAS and Boeing Co. Landing-gear maker Goodrich Corp. and Bombardier paid SAS more than 1 billion kronor ($135 million) in compensation in 2008.

Qantas Airways Ltd., Australia’s biggest airline, said Aug. 21 that five of its Q400s were temporarily grounded following inspections after incidents experienced by another unidentified Q400 operator. Alaska Air Group Inc.’s Horizon regional unit has inspected the half of its fleet of 40 Q400s affected by the directive and didn’t find any faults, said spokeswoman Jen Boyer.

Only those planes whose engine nacelles have a particular component needed to be inspected, Arnone said. He said the part in question wasn’t built by Goodrich and declined to name the supplier.

Bombardier senior vice-president of aircraft programmes Eric Martel disclosed the airframer's plans during a briefing at the RAA annual convention on 18 May in Nashville, Tennessee.
Martel stated the Q400 will feature 64 economy seats and seven in first class in a three abreast layout.
Speaking to ATI and Flightglobal, Martel explained the aircraft is being delivered to an existing Q400 customer, and all the deliveries in the specific order would feature the dual class configuration. He also stated Bombardier plans to work with the operator to retrofit Q400s with a new first class.
Bombardier declined to disclose the customer pegged to receive the first two-class Q400, but United-Continental Holdings has some interest offering premium seats on its Q400s.

Bombardier has given its strongest indication yet that it intends to offer a stretch of its 70-seat Q400 turboprop, but the entry date would be beyond 2015.
Rival ATR has already said it would not make any firm decision this year on launching a 90-seat aircraft because it is focusing on certification of its -600 series.
"Of course we have a bigger Q400 in mind. There is definitely room for a 90-seat Q400," said Bombardier Commercial Aircraft president Gary Scott during a pre-Paris air show briefing in Geneva.
"It's probably sometime in the second half of this decade. And we expect there will be competition too."
Engine manufacturers GE and Pratt & Whitney Canada are entrenched in research dedicated to developing engines for larger turboprops in the 90-seat category, and both believe they could bring a powerplant to market in around 2016.
Bombardier vice-president of marketing Philippe Poutissou, speaking at a Regional Airline Association event in Nashville in May, said the company already had a suitable platform. Unlike "the other guys", he said, Bombardier did not have to reference its potential 90-seater as a new aircraft.
But Poutissou explained that Bombardier needed to evaluate which changes were more valuable than commonality.
Examining an engine change to produce an optimal larger version of the turboprop is "the largest investment required", he said. An airframer needs to ensure market support before opting to shift to a different engine. If customers do not press for an engine change on the Q400, Bombardier could deliver a stretched aircraft featuring common systems "more quickly".
Three options exist for engine offerings on a larger turboprop, said Poutissou. Keeping the same engine obviously would not result in significant improvement in fuel consumption, but additional seats result in some economic improvement, he said.
A second option is to tweak the existing Pratt & Whitney engine for improved "performance benefits in the same envelope", Poutissou said, citing a 3% improvement gained from the transition to the General Electric GE34-3A1 to the -3B1 for its CRJ100/200s. Introducing a new engine would wipe out commonality but offer the largest reduction in fuel consumption

Q400 turboprop
For operators of the Q400 turboprop, there is also good news; Bombardier is on target to deliver up to 1.5 per cent in additional fuel burn improvements, along with the two per cent improvement already achieved during high-speed cruise. The better fuel economy comes at no additional expense to operators.
“The Q400 turboprop continues to deliver the best overall operating economics in its market segment, and Bombardier is providing continuous improvements to the aircraft’s product offering, including a new business-class configuration, enhanced navigation systems and a drop-down oxygen system to further extend the operational capabilities of the aircraft,” added Mr. Scott.
To give operators more flexibility, Bombardier confirmed today that it is offering a new dual-class configuration for the Q400 NextGen aircraft. Later this year, Bombardier will deliver the first Q400 NextGen aircraft with a business-class section, featuring three-abreast seating for premium service and comfort. The launch customer for the new cabin offering will be announced at a later date. This new dual-class cabin configuration will also be available as a retrofit for in-service aircraft.
Bombardier completed the development of an optional drop-down oxygen system for the Q400 NextGen aircraft in December 2010 to further extend the operational capabilities of the aircraft. The system can provide up to 22 minutes of emergency oxygen and has been ordered by customers that fly over mountain ranges for extended periods of time.
To support greater efficiency in the use of airspace and allow for shorter routings, additional fuel efficiencies, better obstacle clearance and avoidance of noise-sensitive areas, Bombardier is on track to complete its performance-based Required Navigation Performance (RNP APCH) program for the Q400 NextGen aircraft later this year. The RNP APCH capability will be provided as an optional feature and is in accordance with the ICAO performance-based navigation (PBN) manual. Updated capability statements will be provided in the Aircraft Flight Manual (AFM).
In addition, together with launch-customer Japan Air Commuter, Bombardier has developed a Space-Based Augmentation System (SBAS) option for the Q400 NextGen aircraft. SBAS, also referred to as Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) in North America, provides greater navigation capabilities, less reliance on ground-based navigation aids and the potential for more efficient air routes, resulting in both time and fuel cost savings.
Optimized for short-haul operations, the “comfortably greener,” 70- to 80-seat Q400 NextGen aircraft, manufactured at Bombardier Aerospace’s Toronto facility, provides an ideal balance of passenger comfort and operating economics with a reduced environmental footprint. Bombardier has booked firm orders for a total of 408 Q400 and Q400 NextGen aircraft, and as of January 31, 2011, 344 had been delivered. Q400 and Q400 NextGen aircraft are in service with more than 30 operators worldwide and have logged more than 2.7 million flighthours and over 3 million landing and take-off cycles.