Market Presence. As a turboprop the Dash8-400 was previously inevitably tarnished by the general perception that the age of the turboprop has been consigned to history. The incidents involving the landing gears caused values to temporarily falter. The view that the era of the turboprop was at an end was clearly overstated. The high speed, interior comfort and advanced specification of the Dash8Q-400 are a match for regional jets on some sectors, particularly where fleet commonality and passenger perceptions are less important. Nonetheless, the propellers do still represent a disadvantage, one that the sales team of Bombardier will have to continually contend with. The different operating weights of the -400 allow considerable flexibility in terms of range performance. At over 1,300 nautical miles, a large number of routes will be able to be served though few passengers will be enthusiastic about a two hour plus sector time. The potential range capability is more important in terms of allowing maximum payload, improving take-off performance and facilitating multi-hop sectors without the need to refuel. The PW150A is a much improved powerplant offering a time between overhaul of 10,000 hours compared to the 6,000 hours attributed to the earlier PW127F used on the ATR72. Despite the higher speed propeller RPM remains low, helping to reduce vibration.
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