Formerly de Havilland Canada's Dash 8, Bombardier's growing series of regional turboprop transports are here in a new guise this year-they have been renamed the Q series.

It is probably the first time that a highly successful series of commercial airliners-almost 500 are now in service-has been given a new identity simply on a strength of one of its installed systems.

But Q means quiet and Bombardier claims it is delivering the quietest and most vibration-free propeller-driven aircraft ever from the DHC Downsview plant.

All aircraft in the series are now fitted with the new noise and vibration suppression system developed jointly with the UK's Ultra Electronics and introduced to service on the Dash 8 last year.

Under the new designation of Dash 8s, the 37-seater becomes the Q200, the 50-seater is the Q300 and the new 70- to 78-seater is the Q400.

By Bob Rodwell