The de Havilland Canada DHC-7, known as the Dash 7, is a turboprop-powered regional airliner with short take-off and landing (STOL) performance. In the 1960s, de Havilland Canada was already well known worldwide for their series of high-performance STOL aircraft. Variants of the Dash 7 were built with 50–54 seats. It first flew in 1975 and remained in production until 1988, when the parent company, de Havilland Canada, was purchased by Boeing in 1986. It was later sold to Bombardier. In 2006, Bombardier sold the type certificate for the aircraft design to Viking Air.
In early 1978, the Dash 7 began operating with Rocky Mountain Airways and was quickly recognized for its capabilities to transport tourists with ski equipment to secluded and isolated valley ski resorts. Out-of-the-way beach resorts adopted the air service. Approximately 114 Dash 7 aircraft were produced, and the number of variants increased to 14. At the height of operations, nearly 25 foreign airline companies operated the Dash 7 aircraft. Military operators included Canada, Venezuela, and the United States (US) Army.
The US Army operated several Dash 7 aircraft as surveillance platforms with the designation EO-5C (RC-7B before 2004) under the Airborne Reconnaissance Low program. The displayed Dash 7, N765MC, was acquired by the US Army in November 2000 and operated as a surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft. It was spotted at multiple airfields in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom and may have been used to transport special operators into isolated valley regions. In 2011, a witness reported the use of the Dash 7 aircraft during Operation Odyssey Dawn over Libya. In 2017, the aircraft was spotted in the “Boneyard,” at Davis-Monthan AFB. Pima Air & Space Museum acquired the Dash 7 for display in 2025.
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