What Makes the Q400 Amazing

The Bombardier Dash 8 Q400's design is what allows it to do such an amazing job in the skies. In this video we go over why the aircraft uses turboprop engines, why the horizontal tail is situated where it is, and the geometry of the landing gear + wings in X-Plane 11.

My system specs:
RTX3070
32GB RAM
AMD Ryzen 9 3900
X-Plane 11.55 (Vulkan!)

0:00 Introduction
1:03 History
1:51 Q400's mission
2:48 Why turboprops?
4:10 Turboprop benefits and limitations
5:05 Horizontal stabilizer
6:12 Wing design
7:54 Conclusion

Add-ons:
Enhanced Skyscapes
Q4XP
Inibuilds A300
Zibo 737
Orbx TrueEarth GB
Toliss A319
Sparky 744

[FlyByMax]

Quick note: at 3:26 I mention that turboprops fly slower than jet aircraft. This is generally true, but I could have demonstrated it better by comparing True Air Speed (TAS) instead of Indicated Air Speed (IAS) as I did in the video. Comparing IAS is not a good idea since it is not your actual speed through the air, and it's also dependent on altitude. Long story short: since jet aircraft fly higher, this helps them in actually flying faster (even though IAS may give the impression you're flying slower). Thanks!

[theleeharveyoswaldexperien]

A whole series on the dash 8 would be incredible!

[troybaxter]

Holy crap. I'm in your video! At 1:36 the pilot in the right seat is me! I flew the Dash 7 for six and a half years. Great plane! Built like a tank.

[naturallyherb]

Really awesome! Love how the physics gets visualized in X-Plane 11! Have been really enjoying the Q4XP a lot these days!

Definitely feel free to build a series on the Q400 design!

[rdymond]

The Q400 is my favourite plane. I fly it with WestJet on most flights I take. One thing I've always found amazing about the Q400 is just how fast it is for a propeller-driven/turboprop aircraft. Its cruise speed of 667 km/h (414 mp/h), while slower than jets, is faster than the majority of
propeller-driven/turboprop aircraft.

The Q400 is a very common sight at my airport, Fort St John Regional Airport CYXJ. They are also very common in Canada, WestJet has 47 Q400's and Air Canada has 44 Q400's.

[RealJ]

Max, as you may know, hor-stabs are airfoils that are "flipped upside down" which create "lift" in the opposite direction, when sufficient airflow is flowing over and under it. Therefore what you'll have is a plane that tends to pitch up not down.
Since you mentioned the Twin Otter... I suggest you google am image of it again and look at where the hor-stabs are positioned on it... they are right in the flow of thrust generated by the props.

[Mjr._Kong]

I'm profoundly happy I found this channel. Honestly not even sure you could improve on this -- bravo!

[davidmedlyn]

Hi Max, nice work. I love the simplicity of the Dash-8, especially in the cabin - no fancy computer screens to interrupt casual conversation with fellow passengers. Ahh, what air travel used to be like.

[damonoriente]

Hi Max. Superb video. I'm a bumbling X-Plane user, but I'm interested in the details of airplanes and flight, and your explanation was outstanding: clear, concise and informative. The flight sim community really benefits from videos of this quality. Like others, I feel you deserve a huge subscriber base, so I'll join the team. Thanks very much!

[chrisrinard]

Would love a more in-depth description on the aspect ratio, aerodynamics of different wing designs beyond the basics and from an Aero Engineer's perspective.

[AlpineWarren]

Correction - The horizontal stabilizer provides downforce for stability not lift - Additional airflow from the propellers causes the nose to pitch up - Not down.

[timthefox]

Loved the vid! Great stuff, keep up the good work! I love seeing new aviation content creators pop up

[gudduentertains]

My first air-experience was in Bombardier Q400. U travelled with my family from Delhi to Dehradun. It usually takes 6 hrs from Bus and on this plane it was under 40 minutes.

[sebastiancrumpacker]

No idea how this vid popped up on my recommended but I'm glad it did! Subscribed, keep up the good work!

[nickibanks]

I like that you explain the aerodynamics of why it is designed the way it is & the comparisons with design features of other kinds of aircraft 👍

[jessemururia]

Keep doing such vids am really happy how u explained

[Mjr._Kong]

This deserves 50k subscribers at a bare minimum.

[keithwalter]

I agree with the other comments to develop an entire series to discuss the various aspects of the Q400 design. That would be awesome. You do a wonderful job of explaining the subject matter. Great

[MrNohab]

I am a frequent flyer on 400 Air Canada Express. Only problem what we run into quite often the lock of the luggage room. Sometimes the grand crew having difficult time to be able to fit all of the luggages and yes, we need to double the plane with a second 400, efficiency is gone. Other then that this little "Deery" is so much fun to fly and so cute! Yes, as you mentioned the braking power of the props reversing flow is amazing! Winter time on slippery runways is much much safer than the runners brake! Love this bird! ❤

[robertcharlessceats]

An absolutely superb explanatory video. Clear, concise and highly professional. I would be delighted if you would continue to expand and develop the series. Top marks !