MAJESTIC SOFTWARE - DASH 8 Q400

[Seagreen 5]

The Majestic Q400 dash 8 is a masterpiece, of that there is no doubt, however trying to land the thing is something else. I approach at 120 knots with full flaps and it rises above GS so I use some flap relief to 15 and it still struggles. Flaps 10 seems to work best but it tries to race and while it is exciting to fly in Prepar3D  it must be terrifying in the RW. Looking at the manual and the various "heads-up" to pilots you wonder if they should have gone back to the drawing board. Warnings like best to "fly it on to the runway" as plopping it down will send horrendous vibrations throughout the cabin. There are so many it might have occurred to them to start again. Are the wings too narrow for example? Are there any airbrakes apart from those on the ground when the throttles are pulled back.The main plus seems to be it is extremely economical which is probably what they were going for. It is some ride though and any tips would be greatly appreciated

Edited May 9, 2021 by Seagreen

[HamSammich 17]

Fly it as intended and it’s a honey. Fly it the way you describe, and expect trouble. If RW planes behaved as you inaccurately worry this one does, they’d be falling out of the sky daily. They’re not. Learn the plane. It’s as rewarding  as they come, accessible, fun and not really too hard.

[Seagreen 5]

I can fly it fine it, landing it is the problem. May I point you to this excellent article, somewhat in my defence. 

 

"pilots find the Q400 hard to land. It is absolutely unforgiving of poor technique. The other half of the reason people find the Q400 hard to land is that they try to correct excessive sink rate with pitch."

Written by a Q400 Captain with 5 YRS Q400 experience.

http://www.majesticsoftware.com/mjc8q400/resources/LandingTheQ400.pdf

[rmeier 473]

The Majestic Q400 is a fun plane to fly (and land). For me, it is the easiest of all my commercial planes to land with landing rates consistently under 40 fpm.

It becomes unforgiving if you don't fly by the numbers. Know your speeds (from the tables) and set your speed bugs.

Try practicing flaps 15 landings on longer runways...you'll get the hang of it in no time.

Edited May 9, 2021 by rmeier

[HamSammich 17]

Exactly!

Seagreen: Landing and approach speeds vary with weight and conditions. If you can’t hold a glidepath at a given speed and configuration, chances are that speed is wrong for your weight and/or conditions.

[Seagreen 5]

Ironically, I find the B777 and Airbus 320 etc. too easy (you know what I mean) in that once you learn to set up the FMS, they do it all for you including landing and you are basically a passenger. I have gone back to twin propellers for a little more involvement and was really just making the point that I am surprised that from my research the Dash 8 is a little difficult plane to fly no less because of its wing design. I am not sure a plane that is "unforgiving of poor technique" should be awarded a safety certificate.

[Seagreen 5]

HammSammich, I believe you have hit the nail on the head. It will be a problem with landing weights etc. Like a few people in Prepar3D, I am having problems setting it up from the Cpan. My point about the wings still stands though.

Cheers.

[HamSammich 17]

Ahh, so now you’re an aviation safety expert, too? 😉

The wing design is no big deal. Truly. And, in a larger sense, the answer to your implied question is, it’s not all that unforgiving. The pilot in question was speaking about relative nuances. If you fly any real airplane poorly, it will let you know. That said, this is not an F-104 we’re talking about. All airliners are designed to be fairly benign in their handling, and even within that narrow range, the Q400 is not the least forgiving. Trust us, fly it right and you’ll get an enormous amount out of it. 

Edited May 9, 2021 by HamSammich

[Seagreen 5]

As a qualified C172 MS2004 certificated or should that be certified pilot, I do feel I speak with some authority.😃

I once had the same problem with the B747 years ago crashing to the runway until I checked my MLW. 

[HamSammich 17]

Bingo! Perfect!

And hang in there. Try the Airline2Sim videos, too.

[Seagreen 5]

Will do.👍

[overspeed3 410]

I purchased the Majestic Dash 8 for FSX shortly after it was introduced:  At first light this aircraft looked fabulous inside and out - a rather expensive gem, but well worth it.

Little did I know it was an absolute beast, both to fly and to land.  I spent much time and effort, and many flights trying to tame it.  Read all the sim tips out there to hoping it might help.  Alas, all without much success. Results?  It's now been relegated to my "mothball" hanger fort the past few years - I gave up...

 

 

[micstatic 4,296]

More than any of my other airplanes this one is a fly by numbers plane. 

[rayharris108 259]

As someone who NBA’s had the MJQ Pro for many years and loved and miss it in MSFS, I totally concur that like any study level plane (eg FSL AIRBUS, A2A 182 etc) turning complex  real world flight dynamics into something resembling reality from a yoke and PC screen is a real art form. I think they did a truly exceptional job with this (like A2A and FSL).
 

I too noticed how important it is to get the approach taking account winds, speed, attitude etc right on final or ballooning and disaster easily ensues. I noticed if I maintained a minimum approach speed of 130 KT and maintain power (and therefore rudder and elevator authority) right down to the runway (unlike many other GA) as a general rule, that would make it a lot easier to pitch correctly to get set up for finals, even though VREF will be much less. If you go below that it may warn you if I remember correctly.

I say this on the basis of watching loads of real world videos and knowing nothing much else about the subject. But it worked for me. It is very rewarding when you get it right.

hope it helps anyway. Don’t give up!

[Seagreen 5]

Thanks to one and all for your really interesting input. I may have mislead at the start as although it took me ages, I  can now fly it fine using vnav etc. and I can land it manually albeit by the seat of my pants, usually with the stall warning blaring away. It was trying to configure it to land an Ils approach on auto pilot, at least down to 100 ft, and it doesnt seem to grab the GS that well and I know it is not their magnificant coding to blame. MLW is not the issue. I am now looking, as someone suggested, at my speed bugs.

It really is something else, stunning.

Edited May 10, 2021 by Seagreen