I am curious if the older A-300's had a regular yoke for control surface operation or if Airbus was emplying sidesticks in their airliners even back then? Does anyoneknow for a fact?  Also, does anyone know what type of navigational equipment was typically installed on the Dehaviland Dash-7???  Did the 7 come with an FMC or was it like a DC9 and depended on 2 vors and an ADF for primary navigation?  Thanks

Sidesticks - aswell as the FBW was first introduced on the A320 in the 80's.

Regarding the dash 7's, I don't think an FMC is standard since the aircraft type is fairly old, but an IFR certified GPS unit is probably used on some aircrafts just to improve the situational awareness of the crew.
These can be used as a substitute for ADF or DME in most cases, but it's required to have a separate GPS CDI located in the pilot's primary field of vision