Evolution of the PW100 series of turboprop engines began in the mid-1980s. Designed for increased power and lower fuel consumption in anticipation of larger and faster regional aircraft, the family powers the Aérospatiale/Aeritalia ATR 42 and ATR 72, the British Aerospace ATP, the Bombardier Dash 8 or Q Series, previously known as the de Havilland Canada Dash 8 or DHC-8, the Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia, the Fokker 50, and other regional aircraft around the world.
The PW123's free or power turbine allows the propeller to operate at speeds that help reduce propeller noise on the ground and in flight. The compressors can operate at their optimum design point for each flight condition, while the propeller speed is independently controlled for maximum efficiency.
The type of PW123 engine exhibited here is used on the de Havilland Dash 8 Series 300, and was manufactured by Pratt & Whitney Canada in Longueuil, Quebec.
This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.