Q400 question
 

Does anyone know if the q flightdeck is anything like the RJ's? Autopilot and EICAS?

q400.com??

ya i can see that it looks different, just wonderin if anyone with experience flyin the both of them notice many major opperational differences.

It's more like an updated version of the dash 8 than a turboprop version of a CRJ. I have never flown the q400 but I rode up front once and it was nothing like a CRJ

It looks nothing at all like the older CRJs, although the screen size is similiar with the 900s. Not sure about the RJ autopilot but the Qs is junk. You can give it a 5 degree intercept and it will still fly through the loc and will not lock on to it until the FAF. It is also not three axis so you are kicking rudders all day.

As far as automation, again I do not know much about the CRJs but I would say it may be better. It does all the usual except has no autothrottles. Your question is a little vague though, what specifically are you looking for?

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2003/...341ae9.jpg?v=0 (I have no idea why this RJ photo wont show up. Here is the link anyway)

http://vholaregional.net/imagenes/ph_cockpit_lrg.jpg

Man....those are some sweet cockpits.

USMCFLYR

The CRJ is only two axis A/P as well, but does have yaw dampers so you are better off keeping your feet off the rudder pedals unless you're making a crosswind landing.

Until you bag an engine of course then you are getting the dance workout.
And at least on the 900 the autopilot is garbage too. The only turbine I have flown with a worse autopilot was the Citation. Yes even the Jetstream (well the one that had an autopilot installed) I flew had a better autopilot.....

Who cares? What's the pay?

The Q does have a yawdamper but because its a prop you are all over the rudders on any power change and climbs and descents.

I thought I was all done with
P factor
Accelerated slipstream
Spiraling slipstream
Torque

They are roughly the same, similar features with different names for some of the modes. The Q400 has some features that the RJ's don't have like coupled Vpath. You pretty much fly every approach like an ILS in the Q400 except circling approaches in the FMS database. There will be a glide slope/path to almost every runway. I've used both and there were things i liked about the automation on the Q400 and things i didnt like. As mentioned before, it does a crappy job of tracking the LOC. The Q400 is capable of single engine CATIII.

hot ride! makes our ATRs look like old cessnas.

I'd give the ATR at least Bonanza status, at least there is a some automation in it. Now the SAAB is rocking it Cessna style. That think is a switch... well you know SAAB drivers know what I mean.

Never flew the SAAB, but I heard the autopilot on it is rock solid.

nothing in particular mostly just idle curiosity, im driving an RJ and was thinkin about changing companies and the Q is in the line up for a few of them. Was just wondering if in making the change and got the 400 how much would i feel at home on a new flight deck.

I know some A/C builders stick to whats been workin for them as far as lay out

I've flown with a bunch of captains that came over from the RJ. Most of them curse the Q400 the entire time they are flying; must have been spoiled by the 'barbie-jet'. We can do some pretty neat gee-wiz stuff with the QX Q400s (megawhackers). They are actually a descent plane if they would just be little more reliable.

Last time I had the pleasure of sharing a crew van with a QX RJ crew, all they did was B!tc# about the Q400. It got old quick...

Don't forget about the the radar and yaw damper (which autotrims the rudder)

The chicks dig the return to gate maneuver. All kidding aside, it's cool. Handflown CAT IIIb single engine, RNP (in the sim...woo hoo) an apu and glass. What more do you need? Auto rudder trim would be nice....but I don't wanna be bltchy...

Poor little feller! You gonna be ok? At least that seems a little more substantive than *****ing about somebody *****ing in a van...

The 400 is far less automated overall than the RJ (at least the 700). No auto fuel transfer, doesn't set loc courses automatically (that's huge! :), ALT SEL has to be manually selected in the 400 (***?), manual FADEC mode selections, etc... all of those are minor things, obviously, but when you add all the little extras together, the workload is higher in the Q. It's pretty obvious that the Q was 'dumbed down' to maintain a common type rating with the earlier Dashes.

I got pretty bored flying the CRJ, but that's fairly rare in the Q. My advice would be to look at the TRIPS and the LINES associated with each aircraft, and, if given the opportunity, choose on the basis of lifestyle.

Best of luck...

The F18 is one sweet ride as well. Trade you for a day!?

Well....as hard as it is - at least it is possible for you to get a ride more so than it is for me to ride in your jumpseat. Amazing huh? ;)

USMCFLYR

It worked? Lucky! Ours are crappy, if there is one. Handflying is my norm.

I would love to know the key to get through that door. I looked at the Marines back in '93-94 and the PLC program. I ended up having 20/30 vision and they said it must be 20/20 to start training. The Hornet was the one airplane I wanted to fly and the Marines is who I wanted to fly it for. At DAL I've noticed the difference between the Air Force, Navy and Marine pilots when asked what they did prior to DAL was this:

Air Force Pilots will say "I flew F16s". That means they were Air Force.

Nave guys will say "I was a naval aviator" then they tell you what they flew.

Marines will say "I was a Marine". You have to ask what they flew. Their a Marine first and a pilot second. They are usually the most laid back guys as well. Great guys. If there's a way to get a Hornet ride I'd love to know. That would be the culmination of a lifelong childhood dream.

I agree, who cares what it flys like whats the pay like. :D probable more automated than the mad dog

Who cares? That's what the thread was about, that's why everyone is talking about it. The thread wasn't titled "What does it pay and is it a fair rate for industry standards adjusted for the transition of mainline flying to regionals through the failure of maintaining appropriate scope". That is a different discussion that is covered in plenty of other threads.

Back to the topic at hand, as someone who has flown the 3 classic dash models, I'm a little jealous everytime I see the 400. I would love to take it for a ride.

I think the same thing when I see the 100. Looks like alot of fun, like a gocart compared to the length of the 400.

Nevermind...

Ha! Its so true, I would be nervous about hitting the tail on that long thing. The -100 you can pitch all you want...still doesn't land soft :rolleyes:

The megawhacker doesn't land soft either. We have standard callouts for pitch to avoid hitting the butt on the pavement. In a couple years in the thing I have only seen it be an issue with a zero flap landing (the flaps actually broke too; wasn't just the computer freezing them); and with one over-zealous captain who rotated waaay too fast for any airplane.

PNF: Dude
PF: huh
PNF: Duuuuude
PF: Whoa what's that scraping noise. It sounds like...WEEEEEEIIINNNsssss

I dont usually stress on the pitch. I land flaps 15 nearly everytime and typically end up around 5-6 degrees pitch and dont even think the tail is close. I have watched them land a few hundred times while holding short and in various configurations I have not seen the tail even come within 3 feet of hitting yet. Flaps 35 is a real joy to hold the pitch trim down for ten seconds and then have the whole airplane and yoke shake. Ill skip 35 flaps for now.

As for landing soft, it can be the softest landing airplane in the skies and I do it about once every other 4 day but it is a complete combination of luck and timing.

The CRJ A/P is junk...I could have flown a better hold yesterday into SFO with my eyes closed. Next time I will :cool:

Fantastic!

yeah the flaps 15 in the beast is the way to go. Best landings were always right at 5 weins...I mean degrees or so. Before I left for greener pastures the airline I was at *cough qx* restricted all landings by the fo to be at flaps 35. I can see if it's operationally required (short field, etc) but only the captain was sposed to land flaps 15. I guess they really don't want anyone being charter members of the q400 tailstrikers club. Should be a patch. Have some latin on the bottom saying something like....rectum non scrapus.....

Whats different about the ATR? They both have EHSI & EADI, Saab has 3 axis autopilot w/ yaw damp(no dancing), and all of ours have FMS?

Just curious what is better about the ATR's panel?

Flaps 35 has an interesting feature they never told us about in toronto, when u put flaps from 15 to 35 the airplane will auto trim for 35 degrees only, not for 5 10 or 15, just 35. Try it next time to muscle it for a few seconds then you will feel the tail settle unless your real fast with power! A horizon guy told me that and if you need to drop real fast gear down and hold it at vle and you will drop real quick about 3-4k a minute !

On the Q400, is it possible to see the prop hubs when looking out the pilot side windows and seated at the flight controls?

My years of DH8 experience is all in the -100/200/300 models. I know on the -100/200 you can see all the way inboard from the wingtip, across the prop assembly and inboard engine cowling and still be able to view a portion of the inboard de-ice boot on the wing root. On the -300, you can see from the wingtip inboard towards the vicinity of the prop hub. Trying to view the inboard engine cowling or inboard de-ice boot is all but impossible on a -300.

This recent Colgan crash has me wondering where the crew might have been looking for the signs of icing accumulation on the aircraft. Apparently, they mention ice on the wings and windshield on the CVR. I am assuming they are referring to the wing leading edges outboard of the engines, and the heated forward pilot windshields.

I would have been looking at any unusual or significant icing accumulation on the unprotected surfaces of the aircraft. The probe on the windshield wiper arm seems like an obvious place to inspect. Other areas such as the pilot side windows and prop hubs (if visible on the Q400) might have provided additional clues that they were in more than moderate icing and it was time to turn off the autopilot.