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A few places to begin, from the aircraft’s story to the people who fly it.
Meet the aircraft
The Dash 8 entered service in 1984, developing regional-airline work around two turboprops rather than the Dash 7's four. The programme expanded through several fuselage lengths and engine developments. Later Q-series aircraft incorporated active cabin noise and vibration reduction. The Q400 is a substantially larger and faster member of that family.
Aircraft background
Wikipedia contributors · Read more ↗Looking down at the airport where it began
Flying over Springbank gave Fang an unexpected connection with his training days. He could see the airport where he had learned to fly and hear familiar callsigns, including people who had instructed him. From the cockpit of the Dash 8, a place he knew from the ground now marked how far his own flying had progressed. His interest had arrived relatively late, through watching a Cessna 172 video while at university.
Central Mountain Air interview · April 2025. Dash 8 first officer with eight months at CMA; the interview does not identify the variant.
Central Mountain Air · Read more ↗Explore the cabin’s own controls
The flight-attendant panel controls cabin lighting and temperature. Passenger shades, overhead bins, tray tables and service doors are interactive, extending the aircraft beyond the pilots’ seats.
Q4XP · FlyJSim · X-Plane 11 · X-Plane 12
FlyJSim · Read more ↗Into the cockpit
YouTube Pilot Emilie · 42 min ·
Cockpit Flying Video: FULL FLIGHT Dash 8 Q400 | Fort St. John to Calgary WITH Air Traffic Control!
A complete Dash 8 Q400 sector from Fort St. John to Calgary, with ATC audio.
Real aircraft · De Havilland Dash 8 Q400
Watch on YouTube ↗Preview images are served by AirframeDB. Videos open on YouTube only when you choose to watch.
Meet De Havilland Dash 8 Q400
The Dash 8 entered service in 1984, developing regional-airline work around two turboprops rather than the Dash 7's four. The programme expanded through several fuselage lengths and engine developments. Later Q-series aircraft incorporated active cabin noise and vibration reduction.
The Q400 is a substantially larger and faster member of that family. FlyJSim's Q4XP represents this version, with its flight-management system and controls described in the developer manual.
De Havilland Dash 8 Q400
De Havilland Canada → · Explore the family →
De Havilland Dash 8 Q400
Wikipedia contributors · De Havilland Canada Dash 8 ↗FlyJSim · X-Plane 11 · X-Plane 12 →Aircraft type designators
Use the code for the model you are flying. The linked authority lists the applicable aircraft.
History & design
A regional family grows beyond its first model
De Havilland dates the Dash 8 Series 100’s first flight to 20 June 1983. Its history traces the family’s expansion to four models in the 1990s, followed by rising demand for the larger Dash 8-400 as fuel prices increased in the following decade.
De Havilland Canada · A century of excellence ↗Manufacturer historical timeline; the early Series 100 and later 400 are distinct variants
Development milestones
First flight: June 20, 1983
Developed from: de Havilland Canada Dash 7
Wikipedia contributors · De Havilland Canada Dash 8 ↗De Havilland Canada Dash 8 · family/variant named by the source · Wikipedia revision 1373442604
Pilot accounts
Looking down at the airport where it began
Flying over Springbank gave Fang an unexpected connection with his training days. He could see the airport where he had learned to fly and hear familiar callsigns, including people who had instructed him. From the cockpit of the Dash 8, a place he knew from the ground now marked how far his own flying had progressed.
His interest had arrived relatively late, through watching a Cessna 172 video while at university. A discovery flight at Calgary Flying Club led to training and then instructing there. Airline work brought early starts, weather preparation and coffee before departure, alongside pleasures such as a Rocky Mountain sunrise. He also valued opportunities to hand-fly, keeping skills from his instructing days in use.
Central Mountain Air interview · April 2025. Dash 8 first officer with eight months at CMA; the interview does not identify the variant.
Read the full account · Central Mountain Air ↗A former flight attendant finds a different view of Canada
Landry-Chouinard particularly enjoyed flying along the Lower North Shore towards Blanc-Sablon, with the St Lawrence and surrounding landscape opening out beneath the aircraft. His first trip across Canada, from Montreal to Calgary, also changed his sense of the country’s scale. Airline flying gave him places to see as well as a new position in the crew.
He had already spent nine years working as a flight attendant before becoming a pilot. During the pandemic, he bought a Cessna 150 and pursued flying at his own pace. Receiving his first pilot paycheque in 2024 was an emotional milestone. By the time of the interview, his Montreal work usually allowed him to return home after a day that began with breakfast, weather and flight preparation.
Central Mountain Air interview · April 2026. Montreal-based Dash 8 first officer, three months at CMA; exact variant not stated.
Read the full account · Central Mountain Air ↗Learning how a captain sets the tone
Lemiski found that becoming a captain involved learning how her behaviour affected everyone around her. A calm, considerate approach helped set the tone for the crew, while a successful day depended on people working well beyond the flight deck. Dispatchers, ramp staff and cabin crew all contributed to getting a short-haul flight away.
Passenger conversations became another rewarding part of command. Some travellers were still surprised to meet a woman captain. On one flight with an all-female crew, a twelve-year-old passenger was taking her first airline trip: every pilot she had met was therefore a woman. Lemiski connected that moment with the encouragement she herself had received, and with the responsibility of making aviation feel possible to the next generation.
Skies · March 2019. Porter Q400 captain reflecting on the first year after her February 2018 command upgrade.
Read the full account · Skies ↗In your simulator
Systems, equipment and documentation for each developer’s aircraft.
X-Plane 11 · X-Plane 12Q4XP
FlyJSim · Released
Q4XP
FlyJSim · Released
Manuals & resources
Find your next read
Choose a topic for a short introduction and a link to the original source. Simulator references identify the developer and edition they cover.
Simulator documentation
Explore the cabin’s own controlsQ4XP · FlyJSim · X-Plane 11 · X-Plane 12
The flight-attendant panel controls cabin lighting and temperature. Passenger shades, overhead bins, tray tables and service doors are interactive, extending the aircraft beyond the pilots’ seats.
Q4XP developer feature description · gathered September 2026
FlyJSim · Read the source ↗More than engines and a flight-management computerQ4XP · FlyJSim · X-Plane 11 · X-Plane 12
FlyJSim lists geared control tabs, pitch and roll disconnects, a gust lock, hydraulic distribution and stall protection among the Q4XP's modelled systems. Its UNS-1Ew flight-management system and PW150A engine simulation sit within that wider aircraft model. The reviewed requirements specify X-Plane 12.09 or later.
Current product requirements retrieved 2026-09-10 · Flight Controls/Hydraulics; specifications
FlyJSim · Read the source ↗Released product and variantsQ4XP · FlyJSim · X-Plane 11 · X-Plane 12
The Q4XP represents the Dash 8 Q400 with a custom UNS-1Ew flight-management system. The designated store lists X-Plane 11 and X-Plane 12 support.
Official developer / designated-store reference · checked 2026-09-14
FlyJSim · Read the source ↗Synchronise the two flight-management units deliberatelyQ4XP · FlyJSim · X-Plane 11 · X-Plane 12
FlyJSim documents a manual crossfill for routes and fuel data between the two UNS-1Ew units. The simulated heading mode also permits following vectors while retaining LNAV, with holding patterns entered through a graphical definition page.
Q4XP developer systems description · gathered September 2026
FlyJSim · Read the source ↗Pilot account
Looking down at the airport where it beganCentral Mountain Air interview · April 2025. Dash 8 first officer with eight months at CMA; the interview does not identify the variant.
Flying over Springbank gave Fang an unexpected connection with his training days. He could see the airport where he had learned to fly and hear familiar callsigns, including people who had instructed him. From the cockpit of the Dash 8, a place he knew from the ground now marked how far his own flying had progressed. His interest had arrived relatively late, through watching a Cessna 172 video while at university.
Ray Fang
Central Mountain Air · Read the source ↗A former flight attendant finds a different view of CanadaCentral Mountain Air interview · April 2026. Montreal-based Dash 8 first officer, three months at CMA; exact variant not stated.
Landry-Chouinard particularly enjoyed flying along the Lower North Shore towards Blanc-Sablon, with the St Lawrence and surrounding landscape opening out beneath the aircraft. His first trip across Canada, from Montreal to Calgary, also changed his sense of the country’s scale. Airline flying gave him places to see as well as a new position in the crew. He had already spent nine years working as a flight attendant before becoming a pilot.
Michaël Landry-Chouinard
Central Mountain Air · Read the source ↗Read the original documentation from the people who created it. Manuals open on their publisher’s website.
Manual
X-Plane aircraft and avionics manualsLaminar ResearchAircraft background
De Havilland Canada Dash 8Wikipedia contributors · Research background · Wikipedia revision 1373442604 · retrieved 2026-09-12 A century of excellenceDe Havilland Canada · Manufacturer history · retrieved September 2026Resource
Q4XP systemsFlyJSimDeveloper documentation
FlyJSim Q4XP-FlyJSim-Q4XPFlyJSim · Official developer / designated-store reference · checked 2026-09-14Type designator
ICAO Doc 8643 — aircraft type designatorsInternational Civil Aviation Organization · Public search data retrieved 2026-09-14; authority update 2026-09-03Built-in force-feedback profiles
Read the documentary basis, editable starting settings and remaining questions for the aircraft you fly. Each explanation refers to the exact profile revision shown.
Catalogue programme-20261022-v1 · 2 profile choices
FlyJSim Q4XP
FlyJSim · Free and Pro · Revision 3 · Inherited starting point
X-Plane 12
FlyJSim Q4XP: The powered-control response approximates the Q400’s feel system.
De Havilland Dash 8 Q400
Free and Pro · Revision 2 · Partial review
X-Plane 12 · X-Plane 11
De Havilland Dash 8 Q400: The powered-control response approximates the Q400’s feel system.
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