- Transport Canada Level 4 | CERTIFIED
- FAA AATD | COMPLIANT
- FAA Level 4 | COMPLIANT
- EASA FNPT2/MCC | COMPLIANT
Q400 Flight Training Device
A large multi-crew turboprop with the systems and crew discipline of an airline flight deck. Full tactile hardware, so the procedures pilots learn here transfer directly to the aircraft.
The FDS Q400 is a fixed-base flight training device for professional pilot training. It is certified by Transport Canada at Level 4 in service, built to FAA AATD, FAA Level 4 and EASA FNPT II MCC requirements, and reproduces the Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 flight deck with full tactile controls, dual Universal 1E FMS, and a custom flight dynamics engine modelling turboprop propeller physics.
Training organizations use the device for multi-engine turboprop operations, multi-crew cooperation, systems and automation training, type-transition preparation, and maintenance training including engine start and systems operation.
Built for Professional Pilot Training
Four Regulatory Standards
Certified by Transport Canada at Level 4 in service, and built to FAA AATD, FAA Level 4 and EASA FNPT II MCC requirements. Certification is available where your program requires it.
Full Tactile Flight Deck
Every switch, knob, lever, and yoke is real hardware in its correct position. No touchscreens standing in for controls that exist in the aircraft.
Custom Turboprop Flight Dynamics
A dedicated flight dynamics engine models propeller discing, windmilling effects, and propeller airstream over the wing, so the aeroplane handles the way a turboprop actually does.
Control Loading Available
Elevator, aileron, and rudder control forces build and release the way they do in the aircraft, so handling practice transfers rather than teaching a habit the aeroplane will not reward.
210° Visual System
210° of wrap-around visual, so crews pick up drift, sink rate, and runway alignment the way they will in the aircraft, not by reading a panel.
Fits Your Facility
Ships through a standard door and installs in rooms you already have. No building modifications.
Explore The Flight Deck
Overhead Panel
Electrical, hydraulic, fuel, bleed air, and engine start controls, laid out as they are in the aircraft. Crews run the flows they will use on the line.
Visual Display System
High-resolution out-the-window visual for airport environments, weather, and time of day. Available in 210° wrap-around or flat-panel configuration to suit your room.
Glareshield Control Panel
Where the crew sets heading, altitude, airspeed, and vertical speed, and engages the autopilot and flight director. Touch Control Steering allows flight path adjustment through the control column without disengaging the autopilot.
Primary Flight Display (PFD)
Attitude, speed, altitude, and flight mode annunciations on the captain's and first officer's outboard displays.
Navigation Display (ND)
Route, terrain, and weather radar returns, with ground mapping mode for terrain awareness.
Engine Display
Torque, propeller RPM, and turbine indications for both engines, presented as the crew reads them in the aircraft.
Flight Management System
Dual FMS for flight planning, RNP navigation, fuel management, and turboprop performance calculations.
Power and Condition Levers
The controls that separate a turboprop from a jet. Power levers through beta and reverse, and condition levers managing propeller RPM and engine start, in their correct positions with authentic detents.
Control Yokes
Full-size control yokes with authentic feel and travel. Control loading available on elevator, aileron, and rudder.
Crew Seats
Purpose-built for training devices rather than adapted from aircraft or generic seating. Servo-driven height adjustment on J-rails with manual fore and aft travel, and stow-away armrests that open up instructor access during a session. Rated to 400 lb and built for years of continuous use.
Pedestal
Radios, engine start controls, flap lever, and trim, in their correct positions below the power quadrant.
Rudder Pedals
Adjustable pedals with braking and nosewheel steering. Control loading available, so pedal forces build and release the way they do in the aircraft.
Muscle memory that transfers to the aircraft
Power and condition levers with authentic detents, full-size control yokes, and real switch positions, so procedures learned here carry directly into the flight deck.
A flight deck pilots recognize instantly
Authentic backlit instrument panels reproduce the Dash 8 Q400 flight deck layout, so training happens in a genuinely familiar environment.
Training you control, scenario by scenario
The Instructor Operating Station lets instructors inject failures, control weather, and reposition the aircraft, turning every session into targeted, repeatable practice.
Technical Specifications
Training Capabilities
- Custom flight dynamics engine modelling propeller discing, windmilling effects, propeller airstream over the wing, and icing on the propeller, wings, and flight surfaces
- Dual Universal 1E FMS with 3D navigation (LNAV and VNAV), RNP-based navigation, fuel management, and turboprop performance calculations
- Elevator, aileron, and rudder control loading available
- Working circuit breaker simulation with correct mapping to electrical equipment
Systems
Training
- Advanced turboprop systems simulation across engine, propeller, electrical, hydraulic, and flight control systems
- Scripted failure system covering any aircraft system, with scenarios triggered by condition, such as engine failure at V1, or injected at random with tunable failure rates
- Networked system control application for monitoring system status and applying failures remotely
- Weather radar with ground mapping mode, terrain detection, and weather shadow effects
- TCAS traffic collision avoidance
Operational Training
- Multi-crew coordination with shared flight deck capability for collaborative decision-making and CRM
- Touch Control Steering (TCS) autopilot mode training for flight path management without disengaging the autopilot
- Flight data recorder for post-flight analysis, debriefing, and classroom demonstration
- Immersive audio with engine sounds, warnings, and call-outs
- 210° wrap-around visual system. Flat-panel LCD configuration available where room dimensions will not accommodate the wrap-around display
Facility & Installation
- Modular nose section and Instructor Operating Station (IOS) eliminates need for building modifications
- Ships fully assembled where facility entry accommodates assembled size, or in separate sections that pass through a standard door and set up in an average room
- Visual Display System assembled and set up onsite
- Classroom-friendly footprint designed for educational facilities
Certifications & Compliance
- Transport Canada Level 4 | Certified
- FAA AATD | Compliant
- FAA Level 4 | Compliant
- EASA FNPT II MCC | Compliant
Training Applications
Multi-Engine Turboprop Operations
Move pilots from light twins into a large multi-crew turboprop, with the systems complexity, performance, and crew discipline of an airline flight deck.
Multi-Crew Cooperation (MCC)
Build the CRM, communication, and collaborative decision-making skills of a two-pilot crew in a realistic airline operating environment.
Systems & Automation Training
Develop proficiency in turboprop systems, dual Universal 1E FMS operations, and RNP navigation procedures.
Type-Transition & Interview Preparation
Prepare candidates for airline assessments and type training so they interview and perform with genuine understanding of the aircraft they will fly.
Procedures & Recurrent Proficiency
Practise standard operating procedures, normal and non-normal checklists, and recurrent proficiency work with consistent, repeatable lesson plans.
Scenario-Based Training
Use the Instructor Operating Station to inject failures, control weather, reposition the aircraft, and record flight analysis for tailored scenario training.
Explore solutions for:
Certification & Compliance
The FDS Q400 is built to regulatory standards, and an FDS installation has earned certification from Transport Canada. Certified means a regulator has assessed this device and granted approval. Compliant means the device is built to that standard, and certification can be pursued where a program requires it. Regulators certify each installation individually, and FDS supports customers through the process.
Transport Canada
Level 4
Certified
Transport Canada’s certification level for flight training devices. An FDS Q400 installation has been certified at Level 4. What this permits within a given program is set by Transport Canada standards and the training provider’s approval.
FAA AATD
Compliant
The FAA’s approval category for advanced aviation training devices. Under FAA regulations, an approved AATD may be used for defined training and experience credit when operated within an FAA-approved training program.
FAA Level 4
Compliant
The FAA qualifies flight training devices by level. The Q400 is built to Level 4 requirements. Where a program requires formal qualification, FDS supports the process.
EASA FNPT II MCC
Compliant
EASA defines the Flight and Navigation Procedures Trainer II with Multi-Crew Cooperation for procedural and multi-crew training. The Q400 is built to those requirements.
Qualification is granted by the national aviation authority in the country of operation, and FDS supports customers pursuing it.
What this means for your program
What any of these standards mean for your program's training credit depends on your regulator and your approved course. We can walk through your situation in a consultation.
In service
The FDS Q400 is in service with professional training organizations in Canada, the United States, and throughout Europe and Asia.
British Columbia Institute of Technology
Burnaby, BC, Canada
The British Columbia Institute of Technology operates the FDS Q400 alongside an FDS B737 MAX at its Aerospace Technology Campus in Richmond, supporting Aircraft Maintenance Engineering training.
—
“The addition of the two flight training devices is equivalent to BCIT gaining two new aircraft, through simulation.”
Steve Perry, Dean, School of Transportation, BCIT
Waterloo Wellington Flight Centre
Breslau, ON, Canada
Waterloo Wellington Flight Centre operates the FDS Q400 alongside FDS B737 MAX and A320 devices at its Aviation SIM Centre in Breslau, Ontario, supporting a Multi-Crew Cooperation curriculum built around them.
—
“The simulators give a very close-to-realistic feel… they are tactically identical to an aircraft.”
Tony Varga, Chair, Waterloo Wellington Flight Centre
FAQs
Does training on the FDS Q400 count toward a licence or rating?
That depends on your regulator and your approved training program, not on the device alone. The Q400 is certified by Transport Canada at Level 4 in service, and built to FAA AATD, FAA Level 4 and EASA FNPT II MCC requirements. How a device translates into training credit is determined by your civil aviation authority and the course you have approved, and where a program requires formal certification or qualification, FDS supports the process. We can walk through your situation in a consultation.
What is the difference between certified and compliant?
Certified means a regulator has assessed this device and granted approval. Compliant means the device is built to that standard, and certification can be pursued where a program requires it. The Q400 is certified by Transport Canada at Level 4 in service, and built to FAA AATD, FAA Level 4 and EASA FNPT II MCC requirements. FDS supports customers through certification where their program calls for it.
How does a fixed-base FTD fit alongside a full flight simulator?
It handles the work that does not require motion. Procedures, checklist discipline, systems and automation management, FMS programming, and multi-crew cooperation are all trained effectively in a fixed-base device. Moving that work off the full flight simulator leaves FFS time available for the training that genuinely needs it, and gives crews somewhere to practise procedures without competing for that schedule.
Are the controls real hardware, or simulated on screens?
Real hardware. Switches, knobs, levers, and yokes are physical components in their correct positions, so a pilot builds the motor memory the aircraft will ask for. Nothing on the flight deck substitutes a touchscreen for a control that exists in the aircraft.
What facility does the device require?
Approximately a 10ft x 10ft footprint with a 9ft minimum ceiling. No building modifications are needed, and the device is designed for rooms that already exist rather than purpose-built simulator bays. A single or multi-flat-panel visual option is available where ceiling height or room depth will not accommodate the 210° wrap-around display.
How is the device delivered and installed?
The nose and instructor operating station ship assembled where the building entry allows, or in sections that pass through a standard door. The visual display system is assembled onsite. FDS technical services handles installation and commissioning.
Let's look at what your program needs.
Discover how FDS training devices can enhance your program efficiency, reduce costs, and meet regulatory requirements.