De Havilland Canada in Calgary News

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pelmet
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De Havilland Canada in Calgary News

Post by pelmet »

De Havilland building new plane plant
By Ben Cousins, Editor at LinkedIn News
De Havilland Aircraft of Canada is building a massive new aircraft manufacturing facility outside Calgary. The new facility, named De Havilland Field, expects to be partly operational by 2025, while the full build-out will take upwards of 15 years. When complete, the facility will house a “full aerospace campus,” according to CEO Brian Chafe and will employ about 1,500 people. De Havilland specializes in float planes and other aircraft designed for firefighting.
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Pacqing
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Re: De Havilland Canada in Calgary News

Post by Pacqing »

So much for the Airdrie Airport rumor.
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Jiffy
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Re: De Havilland Canada in Calgary News

Post by Jiffy »

So glad to hear the tradition continues. I used to work in Downsview as a machinist in the 80's. How in gods name they have survived in this country is nothing short of a miracle. Real happy to see her going strong.
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co-joe
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Re: De Havilland Canada in Calgary News

Post by co-joe »

Is this Viking building aeroplanes under the name DeHavilland, or is this something that came from Bombardier carrying the name on? Either way it's great news. I think.
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propfeather
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Re: De Havilland Canada in Calgary News

Post by propfeather »

co-joe wrote: Thu Sep 29, 2022 7:08 am Is this Viking building aeroplanes under the name DeHavilland, or is this something that came from Bombardier carrying the name on? Either way it's great news. I think.
It's Viking. Hopefully they don't mess up the ducks as bad as they did with the 400 series
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Blowin' In The Wind
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Re: De Havilland Canada in Calgary News

Post by Blowin' In The Wind »

propfeather wrote: Thu Sep 29, 2022 7:10 am
co-joe wrote: Thu Sep 29, 2022 7:08 am Is this Viking building aeroplanes under the name DeHavilland, or is this something that came from Bombardier carrying the name on? Either way it's great news. I think.
It's Viking. Hopefully they don't mess up the ducks as bad as they did with the 400 series
Can you expand on this for the ignorant?
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airway
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Re: De Havilland Canada in Calgary News

Post by airway »

Pacqing wrote: Sun Sep 25, 2022 7:47 am So much for the Airdrie Airport rumor.
So is that where it is going to be?
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flyer 1492
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Re: De Havilland Canada in Calgary News

Post by flyer 1492 »

It will be located about 15 km SW of Strathmore.
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propfeather
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Re: De Havilland Canada in Calgary News

Post by propfeather »

Blowin' In The Wind wrote: Fri Sep 30, 2022 3:53 am
propfeather wrote: Thu Sep 29, 2022 7:10 am
co-joe wrote: Thu Sep 29, 2022 7:08 am Is this Viking building aeroplanes under the name DeHavilland, or is this something that came from Bombardier carrying the name on? Either way it's great news. I think.
It's Viking. Hopefully they don't mess up the ducks as bad as they did with the 400 series
Can you expand on this for the ignorant?
They've basically turned the -400 into a strip to strip machine.
-It won't let you do flap 20 takeoffs (unless on floats).
-Need to wait two minutes from arming stby AI before you can taxi at all.
-Honeywell Apex avionics... Fine for strip to strip, doesn't seem to be very good for offstrip but I haven't used it for that application myself. No need for an FMS in a twotter FFS.
-New performance charts show worse performance than the original DeHavilland charts allround.
-I'd have to check again but I believe the -400 isn't certified to operate on board skis or tundra tires either.
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Donald
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Re: De Havilland Canada in Calgary News

Post by Donald »

If you think a STOL aircraft like the original twotter would be approved for commercial ops under today's rules, you're hallucinating.
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scdriver
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Re: De Havilland Canada in Calgary News

Post by scdriver »

Donald wrote: Sun Oct 02, 2022 12:15 pm If you think a STOL aircraft like the original twotter would be approved for commercial ops under today's rules, you're hallucinating.
Whys that?
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Donald
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Re: De Havilland Canada in Calgary News

Post by Donald »

Because TC will no longer certify a new 702/3/4/5 twin engine aircraft that cannot continue a takeoff after a V1 engine failure.
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edmanster
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Re: De Havilland Canada in Calgary News

Post by edmanster »

Kinda reminds me of Disneyland ... https://dehavillandfield.com/
Question .. Why so far out of the city?
Are they expecting a thousand commuters twice a day?
Sounds like either somebody dumped a lot of money in ..
or they are expecting lots of money to be dumped in ..

questions .. questions ..
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fish4life
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Re: De Havilland Canada in Calgary News

Post by fish4life »

Probably a few reasons for the distance
-close to the city is either not for sale or extremely expensive per acre for such a big development
-zoning
-airports can be noisy and building away from a major population center helps
-housing for attracting talent is cheaper than in Calgary
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propfeather
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Re: De Havilland Canada in Calgary News

Post by propfeather »

Donald wrote: Mon Oct 03, 2022 1:23 am Because TC will no longer certify a new 702/3/4/5 twin engine aircraft that cannot continue a takeoff after a V1 engine failure.
You absolutely can in a twotter. There's an approved procedure for all series assuming you have a functioning autofeather.
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Donald
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Re: De Havilland Canada in Calgary News

Post by Donald »

propfeather wrote: Mon Oct 03, 2022 8:01 am
Donald wrote: Mon Oct 03, 2022 1:23 am Because TC will no longer certify a new 702/3/4/5 twin engine aircraft that cannot continue a takeoff after a V1 engine failure.
You absolutely can in a twotter. There's an approved procedure for all series assuming you have a functioning autofeather.
"New"

Not referring to aircraft that already exist.

If DH invented a new STOL aircraft tomorrow, and tried to get it certified for commercial use.....nope.
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goingmissed
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Re: De Havilland Canada in Calgary News

Post by goingmissed »

Maybe they'll fix all of the issues with the DHC-8-400:
  • Air conditioning system that cannot cool the cabin with 25+ degree C external temperatures with two engines running and bleeds on MAX
  • One light control on the captains side, one on the FO's side, and four on the overhead
  • Water system that freezes in winter
  • Door sensors that freeze and fail
  • Noise and vibration reduction system (ANVS) that has more power supplied to the actuators than they are rated for
  • One control that changes both MFD's simultaneously ('DOORS', FO to PFD, FO to SYS) and ('ALL', 'ALL', 'ALL')
  • Landing gear down, parking brake set, triple chime for engine shut down
  • Parking brake set, engines off, triple chime for door opening (TWICE!)
  • Switches made redundant by automation
  • ALT SEL
  • Autopilot capture of the ILS always going through by up to 0.3 of a mile
  • Flight director that guide you off track
  • Small "larger" overhead bins
  • Lavatory scent
  • Loud wiper blades that are parked in the down position
  • Manual ice protection

This is far from an exhaustive list.

I read this just before I started flying the Q and with the 1000 hours I've flown on the airplane, I've come to realize that it's completely true.
Congratulations on picking a great big fucking turd to fly! Make no mistake, the Q400 is just a god awful airplane. I think what I hate most about it is the air conditioning - When the bleeds aren't sending smoke from burning oil into the cabin (this is an alarmingly regular occurrence), the ACMs simply do a terrible job regulating the temperature in automatic mode, and if you put them in manual, moving the knob the width of a hair will roast you or freeze you. Every time you change power settings down in the 10-40% torque range the bleeds change from 2.2 - 2.7 - 3.0 making the airflow erratic and noisy and very distracting and very very fucking irritating. Also, if you shut the airplane down without the pack knobs in the 12 o'clock position, wherever you left them will become the new "12 o'clock" next time you turn them on. Obviously this is a huge fucking annoyance and it usually requires you to completely shut off the packs to reset the ECS, which unless you want to lose pressurization, you had better do on the ground and if you forget, have fun being either freezing or sweltering for the whole flight. My second least favorite part of this POS is the brakes... Holy. Shit. Stopping this airplane is frustrating at best from the cockpit, and downright traumatizing as a passenger. Don't make the mistake of assuming that like other airplanes, when you apply a normal amount of pressure to the tops of the pedals, something will happen. This is not the case. Instead, you will have to use almost the ENTIRE WEIGHT OF YOUR BODY on the pedals, and then wait several seconds, and then you will feel yourself slowing. This, of course, is just to slow down from a normal 15-20kt taxi, so plan ahead when you're taxiing. In order to slow down on landing, you will need to apply the brakes immediately; whatever you do, don't wait until you need them because they need to heat up in order to do anything (I am aware that this is the case with most airplanes with carbon brakes, but the q400's brakes are an EXTRA special case). So after applying a significant amount of pressure, that you are hoping isn't enough to lock them up, you will wait several seconds and feel no deceleration due to the brakes. You will then apply a tiny bit more pressure, only to find that that was WAY TOO MUCH AND NOW THEY ARE GRABBING ASYMMETRICALLY AND YOU ARE LURCHING BACK AND FORTH AND EVERYONE IN THE BACK IS PULLING THEIR CRUSHED FACES OUT OF THE SEATBACKS IN FRONT OF THEM AND LOOKING AROUND AT THE OTHERS, SILENTLY BUT FRANTICALLY EXCHANGING "oh my god holy shitfuck is this normal or are we mere seconds away from perishing in a smoldering heap?" GLANCES and then it's finally over and you can breathe again. After a few months on the airplane I realized that I had no idea how to give a braking action report anymore because it is literally "poor" every single time a Q400 lands, so now I just say fair every time I'm asked because that's the most conservative thing to do and it's probably actually at least fair to every other transport category aircraft that has ever been produced. The logic in the cockpit layout is really shitty too... I'm sure you've noticed that there is only ONE set of controls for TWO MFD's. Who the @#$! thought of that, huh? Granted, most of the time there's no need to have the doors page and the fuel page up simultaneously, and it's a damn good thing because YOU FUCKING CAN'T unless you cycle through the pages in just the right way (think solving a rubix cube) because the DIPSHIT that designed this airplane was a lazy fucking cunt and only put one set of buttons on the pedestal. And what other airplane makes you specifically ask it to level off at the altitude you spun into the window? WHY THE @#$! ELSE DID I PUT THAT ALTITUDE THERE IF IT WASN'T BECAUSE I WANTED TO STOP THERE? There is NO reason for the ALT SEL button but at least if you're not a moron it's not a big deal. Oh and did you know that there isn't actually a yaw damper on this airplane? I know there is a button on the FGC to engage it but did you know that it's not actually connected to anything? Just kidding. I have been told that there is in fact a yaw damper on the Q400 and you can't use the autopilot if it doesn't work, but you sure could have fooled me because it doesn't do a FUCKING thing. You're gonna love swinging the tail back and forth trying to keep the brick centered Every. Single. Time. you change power or pitch. Most people just fly around uncoordinated and some people use differential power to keep it coordinated so they don't have to touch the EXTREMELY sensitive rudder pedals/trim, but your airline may not like that because supposedly splitting the power like that wreaks havoc on the ANVS and makes it fail a lot faster. This thing is awful in turbulence. And guess what? Since you can't go above FL250, you are gonna feel all of it hahahaha. And don't even think about asking how the ride ahead is, because nobody else is flying at your altitude! Don't keep your feet on the floor when it gets bumpy because as soon as you hit a nasty one they will fly up and you will bust the @#$! out of your shins on the sharp lower edge of the panel. The corners of the pedestal are sharp too, so especially watch out for your knee by the FMS because that fucking hurts too if you bump it. Guess what else? Probably the very same STUPID DIPSHIT that designed the rest of the cockpit thought it'd be really smart to house the windshield wipers horizontally, instead of vertically like every other fucking airplane. So now, thanks to that ASSCLOWN, you get to hear every single knot of wind over the wiper blades and this airplane is loud as shit to begin with (admit it: you thought the Q stood for quiet didn't you. It's ok, I thought so too. It actually stands for "quite motherfucking loud still despite what we've told you so bring a good headset bitch"). Luckily, you can park them vertically with the wiper control but this is officially "frowned upon" at my airline so some crews may not feel "comfortable" doing it. I feel much more uncomfortable listening to the torrent of wind hitting the blades than breaking a silly rule that nobody will ever find out about, but some people are different. Oh, and the clamshell door. Nothing quite like sitting around not getting paid for 10 minutes after you hand out the paperwork because you're waiting for the rampers to move the jet bridge so you can close the door. On the other hand, if you want to make up that 10 minutes and more, just start the APU with the batteries off. Then you can sit for 20min- a half hour with the door closed waiting for the loads to come down to .10. Want to cancel a flight and go home? Spin the baro knob all the way down as far as it will go. That will break the CPC for some reason and make it show "FAULT." That's a gamble though because you don't want them to just end up deferring the CPC and making you do it yourself in manual mode because that's a great big nuisance. Good luck and enjoy missing commute after commute because these things are held together by spit!
https://np.reddit.com/r/flying/comments ... e/cq26tut/
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Canadaflyer46
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Re: De Havilland Canada in Calgary News

Post by Canadaflyer46 »

Agreed on the Q. It’s a disgrace in aircraft design and showcases the total laziness of the manufacturer. I don’t know anyone that enjoyed flying that POS. Aside from 2 great engines it truly is a ‘flying turd’ as that Reddit post suggests 🤣.
With some cockpit mods, drop-down O2 and modern (not WW2 era) ice protection it could have been a great machine!
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goingmissed
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Re: De Havilland Canada in Calgary News

Post by goingmissed »

Canadaflyer46 wrote: Tue Oct 04, 2022 12:40 am Agreed on the Q. It’s a disgrace in aircraft design and showcases the total laziness of the manufacturer. I don’t know anyone that enjoyed flying that POS. Aside from 2 great engines it truly is a ‘flying turd’ as that Reddit post suggests 🤣.
With some cockpit mods, drop-down O2 and modern (not WW2 era) ice protection it could have been a great machine!
Oh, don't get me wrong... I think the Q stands for quirky and that there are many improvements that can be made to it, but it is a very fun airplane to fly and I absolutely love it.
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SparWeb
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Re: De Havilland Canada in Calgary News

Post by SparWeb »

Almost busted my guts out laughing over this. Thanks!
I thought the Q stood for Quirky but never knew how much.
I had the occasion to dig deep into the aircon system in a Q400 for a cargo conversion.
The prevailing opinion was "don't touch it, too fragile". If we changed too much, the whole thing could stop working.
Still amazed by the forward pressure vent supposedly to clear smoke from the cockpit.
Seems to be an expensive band-aid for a problem discovered only after certification tests.
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