C-GKQD
This Bombardier Dash-8 Q400, belonging to Porter Airlines, was spotted landed at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ). The airport is located on Toronto Island in Lake Ontario, just off the coast from downtown Toronto, Ontario.
A relatively new airplane, this Dash-8, registered C-GKQD, was delivered to Porter on April 21, 2011. The plane is configured for 74 passengers, just short of the 78 passenger max for this type of airliner. This is a short haul workhorse with several flights taken each and every day.
On the day this plane was photographed, it embarked on nine different flights. It started its day at YTZ and flew to Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey (EWR). After returning back to Toronto Island, it flew north to North Bay, Ontario‘s Jack Garland Airport (YYB). From YYB, it took a short flight to Timmins (YTS) before returning to North Bay.
From North Bay, this plane returned to Toronto City Airport. After a short stay, it was off to Ottawa’s MacDonald-Cartier International Airport (YOW). After returned back to Toronto, it ended its day with a flight to Thunder Bay, Ontario (YQT).
Despite the number of flights and destinations in a single day, there’s more. This plane in a typical week will also fly to Halifax, Nova Scotia; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Boston, Massachusetts; Sudbury, Ontario; Montreal, Quebec and Windsor, Ontario.
Bombardier Dash-8 Q400
aka DHC-8, this plane was formerly known as a de Haviland Canada Dash-8. The two engine turboprop airliner is 108 feet long with a wingspan of 93 feet. At the tail, the plane is 28 feet high. The first Dash-8 was introduced in 1983. In 2000, the first Dash-8 Q400 came into service. The Q is for quite with newly introduced cabin noise suppression.
For a prop plane, she moves pretty fast with a cruise speed of 667 kilometres per hour. The Dash-8 Q400 has a maximum operating altitude of 27,000 feet and a flight range of 2,522 km.
Porter Airlines
This airline began operations in October, 2006. Porter Airlines is headquartered at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YYZ). The airport is located on an island just off downtown Toronto in Lake Ontario.
Currently, there are a modest 26 airplanes in the airline’s fleet, all Bombardier Dash-8 Q400 turboprop airliners. Porter currently reaches 24 destinations. An increase in destinations hinged on a proposal to expand Toronto City Airport in order for jet airliners to be able to take-off and land. That proposal was shot down.
Nixed in the deal was an order Porter Airlines has with Bombardier for the soon to be introduced CS100 twin engine jet liners.
The images above were taken from the northern shore of Olympic Island. The island is one of the archipelago that creates the Toronto Islands. This plane and many more are included in our Airliner Directory.
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