New aircraft in the hangar - the Dash-8 has landed

[Guest jonpoint]

Hi All,Just a note to let you know that the Dash-8 has been upoladed for your enjoyment. Please try it out and enjoy a new(ish) way of flying in FU3.Special thanks to all who helped me with this and I'm looking forward to more FU3 creations soon!:-waveJon Point*************************(effyouthree@hotmail.com)*************************

[Guest juvat2]

Jon Point,She's a beauty and fly's great. Thank you very much for this fine aircraft. Getting 15 fps, full AA, 1024,768,32. Very-very nice.Small shot of flight Olympia to Arlington. http://forums.avsim.com/user_files/16919.jpgTake care,Jim B.

[Guest glidernut]

Thank you jon, She's fabulas.Thay are both grate, but this one is fabulas.Im a bit timid even to start the engins.I just sat there looking at it for 20 minits or so first.All the best,glidernut.:-sun1

[Lars Peter 0]

Jon.Many thank's for this release.I just took off with this new aircraft for a testflight "sanderson-seatac".It was very easy and stable to fly, and this looks like a true masterpiece.See the screenshots below.I have also got new drivers from INTEL and IBM for my videocard and monitor, so there is currently no need to buy upgrades.Thank's again.Best regards.Lars Peter.:-wave

[Christopher Low 5,352]

It's a good job that I checked the messages on this forum, otherwise I wouldn't have been aware that the Dash 8 was available. There is no mention of it on the AVSIM front page.I am downloading it now :-)Chris Low.

[Christopher Low 5,352]

It looks like you took a detour around downtown Seattle :-)Chris Low,ENGLAND.

[Christopher Low 5,352]

Well Jon, I have installed the Dash 8 with the British Airways colour scheme. I haven't attempted to fly it yet, but I did check to see what it looked like.In short, the plane model and textures are STUNNING. You have created a superb looking plane, and it is one that I am really looking forward to flying around the FU3 skies. Time will tell if the flight model is up to scratch ;-) Chris Low,ENGLAND.

[Christopher Low 5,352]

Jon,More comments on the Dash 8.......Wonderful sound effects (relatively quiet too)Excellent VFR and IFR cockpit panels (you know how much a good VFR viewpoint means to me) :-)Superb cockpit graphics (I know that you'll want to shoot me for this comment, but I would prefer an unobstructed view to the right)Good visibility (apart from that annoying co-pilot)Convincing engine shutdown sequence (as far as I am aware, this is the only FU3 prop plane that accurately simulates the gradual slowdown of the propellor spin rate)Is there any way to remove the co-pilot ?Chris Low,ENGLAND.

[Guest Ansgar]

CHRIS!!you want to remove this nice girl to your right??!! Don

[Christopher Low 5,352]

Sorry Ansgar, but I would still like a clear view to the right !I forgot to comment in my previous post about the aircraft registration. I assume that Jon simply liked G-JEDI (which I am not complaining about), but this registration actually belongs to one of British European's Dash 8Q-400's (in Flybe.com livery).Chris Low,ENGLAND.

[Hans_Petter 1]

Yes, the Dash 8 is great! I've had a couple of versions of it for some time since I was beta testing the flight model. I compared it to a FS2002 Dash 8 100 series that I flew for about 20 hours last spring. (No, this wasn't a stock Dash 8 but rather one set up and certified by Tom Goodrick, a former NASA employee who's totally focused on flight dynamics). It was an FS 2002 gathering called "The Great Aussie Race" and it's kind of ironic that I flew a Qantas Dash 8 from Melbourne to Tasmania, clockwise around the continent and back -- ironic since Jon was sitting right north of Sydney constructing the FU3 Qantas Dash 8while I was "there", flying a Qantas Dash 8 :-)The Dash 8 that Jon has modeled is the streched version of the Dash 8. An increase in length doesn't make too much difference as flight dynamics are concerned, except for the pitch axis. Jon's aircraft handles very much like the one I had gotten used to flying. You may notice that the engines are positioned above the center of gravity. This means that the plane will nose down if you apply power quickly and nose up if you cut power. Aircraft with engines slung under the wings (Boeing jets) have the opposite characteristics. What this means is that if you come in too low and need more power really fast, please be prepared to apply some stick back pressure. As any realistic flight model it will pitch a bit as you change the power setting but this one pitches DOWN as you revv up.Another tip, turboprops really need flaps to sink. If you just cut the power and drop the gear you won't be able to land anytime soon. Be prepared to slide out at least two notches of flaps before this birds wants to land. In FS2002 turboprops are notorious for "creeping" on the runway and "float" during landings. It seems that the engines keep pulling even when you don't want them to. Whether this is realistic or not I find that Jon's Dash 8 sports some of those characteristics, despite being based on a piston engine model. In any event, flaps set things straight and are required even for long runways.Both liveries look great and I don't mind some company in the cockpit. However, if Chris or anyone else wants to fly solo it should be fairly easy to edit out the female copilot. Needless to say, the cockpit looks like a real Dash 8 cockpit. The over-the-panel view is adequate and the F2 view saves most landings if you come in too "flat".Congratulations Jon, you've made a Dash 8 :-)Hans Petter

[Guest R_Driscoll]

Well I can't comment on the registration numbers, but Jon, congratulations! I took her up for a flight around UK-South and fell in love with her (not the co-pilot - the plane I mean). How did you manage to create something with such a different feel? I thought it would fly like the DC3, but its very different. And first time, a perfect takeoff and landed exactly on the tyre marks, at a high AOA close to stall. I pulled up be the first taxiway. Now I wasn't quite following your instructions on landing, but they were a big help on takeoff for sure. The plane is very responsive, rolls quickly and accurately, and the UC sequence is excellent.RobD.

[Guest jonpoint]

Dear All,Thankyou very much for the nice comments ;) I WANTED the Dash-8 to be a special aircraft and I think I've achieved it! This is only the first full (non-beta) release - I'm sure there will be many small adjustments to make once you've all had a chance to try everything.There are some more goodies to follow, BTW. There IS a 'clear' view for the cockpit, a Horizon livery and a couple of sets of construction files (texture base BMPs and an efile/script set to allow intrepid developers to see how it's done - and maybe do it themselves...). These will arrive over the next couple of weeks. Anyone interested in doing a livery now should email me direct and I'll send you the files ;)I'm happy too that FU3 can be developed further by us 'lay' gamers. On the strength of what I've achieved here, I intend to continue with more goodies for FU3 in the future ;)Happy flying :-waveJon Point*************************(effyouthree@hotmail.com)*************************

[Guest jonpoint]

Thanks, Rob!It IS very different to anything else in FU3 - this was apparent the first time I flew it!The rego number is just for laughs. I know it's a BE rego - I have a half-finished BE livery that I trashed to make the BA one ;)I don't actually have any photos of a BA Dash-8 300 so I have no idea what a suitable callsign is! Maybe one of our UK friends can help. Whilst I'm at it, I received a BA logo from BA but it was too small to use so the font is not 100%. If someone has a larger logo (at least 512 pixels wide), I will redo it (with a real callsign).As to the quick pull-up, I've landed BEHIND an AI 737 that was just moving off the piano keys. Like you, I was off at the first exit. Can't quite 'do the dome' yet - she bounces a bit and the brakes don't hold. I can land it in the carpark next door though ;)And... 99 downloads in 20 hours! There's life in this sim yet :-):-waveJon Point*************************(effyouthree@hotmail.com)*************************

[Christopher Low 5,352]

Hans,Thanks for clearing up something that had puzzled me for the last week. The "pitching down when power is applied" aspect of the Dash 8 is also present with Ansgar's DC3, and this can be tricky on landing approaches. Maybe I should get the aircraft onto the correct glideslope for a change :-)Chris Low,ENGLAND.