PRATT &WHITNEY Canada has delivered the first PW150A turboprop engine for Bombardier's Dash 8-400 70-seat regional airliner. The first flight of the stretched, high-speed -400 is scheduled for December, leading to certification and first deliveries in the second quarter of 1999.
Flight testing of the 3,780kW (5,070shp) PW150A began in January on P&WC's Boeing 720B testbed. The complete Dash 8-400 propulsion system, including propeller and nacelle, is to be flight-tested from late July.
Bombardier Regional Aircraft division is to establish a spares-distribution centre for de Havilland Dash 8s and Canadair Regional Jets at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, operated by TAT Group subsidiary LAB.
Source: Flight International
