What don't you like about your plane???
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What don't you like about your plane???
Hello All!
I came across this very funny post on Facebook (see below) , and it gave me a great idea for a new avcanada topic!
I think everyone has something they dislike about the aircraft they fly, even if it's something minor!
I don't care if you are the most positive person in the entire world, there has to be something you dislike! I thought it would be kind of funny to hear about everyone's different experience with different aircraft!
Make sure that you DO NOT bash specific operators while posting!
I edited out the profane language in this one (which is too bad because it was funny as @#$@).
REMEMBER I DID NOT WRITE THIS
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Congratulations on picking a great big %$%#$# turd to fly! Make no mistake, the Q400 is just a god awful airplane.
I think what I hate most about it is the air conditioning - When the bleeds aren't sending smoke from burning oil into the cabin (this is an alarmingly regular occurrence), the ACMs simply do a terrible job regulating the temperature in automatic mode, and if you put them in manual, moving the knob the width of a hair will roast you or freeze you. Every time you change power settings down in the 10-40% torque range the bleeds change from 2.2 - 2.7 - 3.0 making the airflow erratic and noisy and very distracting and very very fucking irritating. Also, if you shut the airplane down without the pack knobs in the 12 o'clock position, wherever you left them will become the new "12 o'clock" next time you turn them on. Obviously this is a huge $#%#$# annoyance and it usually requires you to completely shut off the packs to reset the ECS, which unless you want to lose pressurization, you had better do on the ground and if you forget, have fun being either freezing or sweltering for the whole flight.
My second least favorite part of this POS is the brakes... Holy. @#$@. Stopping this airplane is frustrating at best from the cockpit, and downright traumatizing as a passenger. Don't make the mistake of assuming that like other airplanes, when you apply a normal amount of pressure to the tops of the pedals, something will happen. This is not the case. Instead, you will have to use almost the ENTIRE WEIGHT OF YOUR BODY on the pedals, and then wait several seconds, and then you will feel yourself slowing. This, of course, is just to slow down from a normal 15-20kt taxi, so plan ahead when you're taxiing. In order to slow down on landing, you will need to apply the brakes immediately; whatever you do, don't wait until you need them because they need to heat up in order to do anything (I am aware that this is the case with most airplanes with carbon brakes, but the q400's brakes are an EXTRA special case). So after applying a significant amount of pressure, that you are hoping isn't enough to lock them up, you will wait several seconds and feel no deceleration due to the brakes. You will then apply a tiny bit more pressure, only to find that that was WAY TOO MUCH AND NOW THEY ARE GRABBING ASYMMETRICALLY AND YOU ARE LURCHING BACK AND FORTH AND EVERYONE IN THE BACK IS PULLING THEIR CRUSHED FACES OUT OF THE SEATBACKS IN FRONT OF THEM AND LOOKING AROUND AT THE OTHERS, SILENTLY BUT FRANTICALLY EXCHANGING "oh my god holy s%itfu#@ is this normal or are we mere seconds away from perishing in a smoldering heap?" GLANCES and then it's finally over and you can breathe again. After a few months on the airplane I realized that I had no idea how to give a braking action report anymore because it is literally "poor" every single time a Q400 lands, so now I just say fair every time I'm asked because that's the most conservative thing to do and it's probably actually at least fair to every other transport category aircraft that has ever been produced.
The logic in the cockpit layout is really sh$#ty too... I'm sure you've noticed that there is only ONE set of controls for TWO MFD's. Who the $@## thought of that, huh? Granted, most of the time there's no need to have the doors page and the fuel page up simultaneously, and it's a damn good thing because YOU $#@%#$ CAN'T unless you cycle through the pages in just the right way (think solving a rubix cube) because the DIPS%$T that designed this airplane was a lazy $@#%@% c&%t and only put one set of buttons on the pedestal.
And what other airplane makes you specifically ask it to level off at the altitude you spun into the window? WHY THE $#@$ ELSE DID I PUT THAT ALTITUDE THERE IF IT WASN'T BECAUSE I WANTED TO STOP THERE? There is NO reason for the ALT SEL button but at least if you're not a moron it's not a big deal. Oh and did you know that there isn't actually a yaw damper on this airplane? I know there is a button on the FGC to engage it but did you know that it's not actually connected to anything? Just kidding. I have been told that there is in fact a yaw damper on the Q400 and you can't use the autopilot if it doesn't work, but you sure could have fooled me because it doesn't do a &$#KING thing. You're gonna love swinging the tail back and forth trying to keep the brick centered Every. Single. Time. you change power or pitch. Most people just fly around uncoordinated and some people use differential power to keep it coordinated so they don't have to touch the EXTREMELY sensitive rudder pedals/trim, but your airline may not like that because supposedly splitting the power like that wreaks havoc on the ANVS and makes it fail a lot faster.
This thing is awful in turbulence. And guess what? Since you can't go above FL250, you are gonna feel all of it hahahaha. And don't even think about asking how the ride ahead is, because nobody else is flying at your altitude! Don't keep your feet on the floor when it gets bumpy because as soon as you hit a nasty one they will fly up and you will bust the $#%@ out of your shins on the sharp lower edge of the panel. The corners of the pedestal are sharp too, so especially watch out for your knee by the FMS because that fucking hurts too if you bump it. Guess what else? Probably the very same STUPID D$#%#%T that designed the rest of the cockpit thought it'd be really smart to house the windshield wipers horizontally, instead of vertically like every other &^%$ng airplane. So now, thanks to that @$$CLOWN, you get to hear every single knot of wind over the wiper blades and this airplane is loud as s%&t to begin with (admit it: you thought the Q stood for quiet didn't you. It's ok, I thought so too. It actually stands for "quite mother$#@king loud still despite what we've told you so bring a good headset b$@ch"). Luckily, you can park them vertically with the wiper control but this is officially "frowned upon" at my airline so some crews may not feel "comfortable" doing it. I feel much more uncomfortable listening to the torrent of wind hitting the blades than breaking a silly rule that nobody will ever find out about, but some people are different.
Oh, and the clamshell door. Nothing quite like sitting around not getting paid for 10 minutes after you hand out the paperwork because you're waiting for the rampers to move the jet bridge so you can close the door. On the other hand, if you want to make up that 10 minutes and more, just start the APU with the batteries off. Then you can sit for 20min- a half hour with the door closed waiting for the loads to come down to .10. Want to cancel a flight and go home? Spin the baro knob all the way down as far as it will go. That will break the CPC for some reason and make it show "FAULT." That's a gamble though because you don't want them to just end up deferring the CPC and making you do it yourself in manual mode because that's a great big nuisance. Good luck and enjoy missing commute after commute because these things are held together by spit!
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I came across this very funny post on Facebook (see below) , and it gave me a great idea for a new avcanada topic!
I think everyone has something they dislike about the aircraft they fly, even if it's something minor!
I don't care if you are the most positive person in the entire world, there has to be something you dislike! I thought it would be kind of funny to hear about everyone's different experience with different aircraft!
Make sure that you DO NOT bash specific operators while posting!
I edited out the profane language in this one (which is too bad because it was funny as @#$@).
REMEMBER I DID NOT WRITE THIS
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Congratulations on picking a great big %$%#$# turd to fly! Make no mistake, the Q400 is just a god awful airplane.
I think what I hate most about it is the air conditioning - When the bleeds aren't sending smoke from burning oil into the cabin (this is an alarmingly regular occurrence), the ACMs simply do a terrible job regulating the temperature in automatic mode, and if you put them in manual, moving the knob the width of a hair will roast you or freeze you. Every time you change power settings down in the 10-40% torque range the bleeds change from 2.2 - 2.7 - 3.0 making the airflow erratic and noisy and very distracting and very very fucking irritating. Also, if you shut the airplane down without the pack knobs in the 12 o'clock position, wherever you left them will become the new "12 o'clock" next time you turn them on. Obviously this is a huge $#%#$# annoyance and it usually requires you to completely shut off the packs to reset the ECS, which unless you want to lose pressurization, you had better do on the ground and if you forget, have fun being either freezing or sweltering for the whole flight.
My second least favorite part of this POS is the brakes... Holy. @#$@. Stopping this airplane is frustrating at best from the cockpit, and downright traumatizing as a passenger. Don't make the mistake of assuming that like other airplanes, when you apply a normal amount of pressure to the tops of the pedals, something will happen. This is not the case. Instead, you will have to use almost the ENTIRE WEIGHT OF YOUR BODY on the pedals, and then wait several seconds, and then you will feel yourself slowing. This, of course, is just to slow down from a normal 15-20kt taxi, so plan ahead when you're taxiing. In order to slow down on landing, you will need to apply the brakes immediately; whatever you do, don't wait until you need them because they need to heat up in order to do anything (I am aware that this is the case with most airplanes with carbon brakes, but the q400's brakes are an EXTRA special case). So after applying a significant amount of pressure, that you are hoping isn't enough to lock them up, you will wait several seconds and feel no deceleration due to the brakes. You will then apply a tiny bit more pressure, only to find that that was WAY TOO MUCH AND NOW THEY ARE GRABBING ASYMMETRICALLY AND YOU ARE LURCHING BACK AND FORTH AND EVERYONE IN THE BACK IS PULLING THEIR CRUSHED FACES OUT OF THE SEATBACKS IN FRONT OF THEM AND LOOKING AROUND AT THE OTHERS, SILENTLY BUT FRANTICALLY EXCHANGING "oh my god holy s%itfu#@ is this normal or are we mere seconds away from perishing in a smoldering heap?" GLANCES and then it's finally over and you can breathe again. After a few months on the airplane I realized that I had no idea how to give a braking action report anymore because it is literally "poor" every single time a Q400 lands, so now I just say fair every time I'm asked because that's the most conservative thing to do and it's probably actually at least fair to every other transport category aircraft that has ever been produced.
The logic in the cockpit layout is really sh$#ty too... I'm sure you've noticed that there is only ONE set of controls for TWO MFD's. Who the $@## thought of that, huh? Granted, most of the time there's no need to have the doors page and the fuel page up simultaneously, and it's a damn good thing because YOU $#@%#$ CAN'T unless you cycle through the pages in just the right way (think solving a rubix cube) because the DIPS%$T that designed this airplane was a lazy $@#%@% c&%t and only put one set of buttons on the pedestal.
And what other airplane makes you specifically ask it to level off at the altitude you spun into the window? WHY THE $#@$ ELSE DID I PUT THAT ALTITUDE THERE IF IT WASN'T BECAUSE I WANTED TO STOP THERE? There is NO reason for the ALT SEL button but at least if you're not a moron it's not a big deal. Oh and did you know that there isn't actually a yaw damper on this airplane? I know there is a button on the FGC to engage it but did you know that it's not actually connected to anything? Just kidding. I have been told that there is in fact a yaw damper on the Q400 and you can't use the autopilot if it doesn't work, but you sure could have fooled me because it doesn't do a &$#KING thing. You're gonna love swinging the tail back and forth trying to keep the brick centered Every. Single. Time. you change power or pitch. Most people just fly around uncoordinated and some people use differential power to keep it coordinated so they don't have to touch the EXTREMELY sensitive rudder pedals/trim, but your airline may not like that because supposedly splitting the power like that wreaks havoc on the ANVS and makes it fail a lot faster.
This thing is awful in turbulence. And guess what? Since you can't go above FL250, you are gonna feel all of it hahahaha. And don't even think about asking how the ride ahead is, because nobody else is flying at your altitude! Don't keep your feet on the floor when it gets bumpy because as soon as you hit a nasty one they will fly up and you will bust the $#%@ out of your shins on the sharp lower edge of the panel. The corners of the pedestal are sharp too, so especially watch out for your knee by the FMS because that fucking hurts too if you bump it. Guess what else? Probably the very same STUPID D$#%#%T that designed the rest of the cockpit thought it'd be really smart to house the windshield wipers horizontally, instead of vertically like every other &^%$ng airplane. So now, thanks to that @$$CLOWN, you get to hear every single knot of wind over the wiper blades and this airplane is loud as s%&t to begin with (admit it: you thought the Q stood for quiet didn't you. It's ok, I thought so too. It actually stands for "quite mother$#@king loud still despite what we've told you so bring a good headset b$@ch"). Luckily, you can park them vertically with the wiper control but this is officially "frowned upon" at my airline so some crews may not feel "comfortable" doing it. I feel much more uncomfortable listening to the torrent of wind hitting the blades than breaking a silly rule that nobody will ever find out about, but some people are different.
Oh, and the clamshell door. Nothing quite like sitting around not getting paid for 10 minutes after you hand out the paperwork because you're waiting for the rampers to move the jet bridge so you can close the door. On the other hand, if you want to make up that 10 minutes and more, just start the APU with the batteries off. Then you can sit for 20min- a half hour with the door closed waiting for the loads to come down to .10. Want to cancel a flight and go home? Spin the baro knob all the way down as far as it will go. That will break the CPC for some reason and make it show "FAULT." That's a gamble though because you don't want them to just end up deferring the CPC and making you do it yourself in manual mode because that's a great big nuisance. Good luck and enjoy missing commute after commute because these things are held together by spit!
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Re: What don't you like about your plane???
Hahaha. Gold. Will have to ask my buddy on the Q about this
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Re: What don't you like about your plane???
I fly the Q, and can relate to a lot of this. I am pretty sure that the yaw damper lights on the FGCP are just there for looks. I am not convinced there is actually a yaw damper installed.
My least favourite thing on the plane are the carbon brakes. I find them most annoying as you are taxiing in. You have to have a pretty good idea when the marshaller is going to get you to stop. If you wait until he gives you the signal, you'll roll beyond where he wanted you, or if you apply them too firmly the airplane lurches to a stop.
My favourite thing about it is the performance. It's impressive the load it will take at NTOP and flap 15.
My least favourite thing on the plane are the carbon brakes. I find them most annoying as you are taxiing in. You have to have a pretty good idea when the marshaller is going to get you to stop. If you wait until he gives you the signal, you'll roll beyond where he wanted you, or if you apply them too firmly the airplane lurches to a stop.
My favourite thing about it is the performance. It's impressive the load it will take at NTOP and flap 15.
A mile of road will take you a mile, but a mile of runway can take you anywhere
Re: What don't you like about your plane???
The plane does have some weird things but I’ve always felt secure in rough windy days on approach/departure when I used to fly it.
- HansDietrich
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Re: What don't you like about your plane???
Oh boy... I'm dying to add to this thread, but I'll just keep quiet and say "amen to that"!
Das ist mir wurst...
- JohnnyHotRocks
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Re: What don't you like about your plane???
A poor craftsman blames his tools....
Re: What don't you like about your plane???
The brakes do take getting used to. After landing you can press as hard as you want and for a few seconds nothing. Then they heat up and bam, everyone is in the seatback in front of them. The heating/cooling system is the same crap as the 300. At altitude with a good passenger load you have to freeze in the cockpit In order for the pax not to bake. It could have been a better plane but from what I understand Bombardier dumbed it down hoping companies would operate common type with the classic. I actually love flying it. I pity the Q400 f/o’s at Jazz who have to fly with the Captains who were on the jet. RJ this and RJ that all day long. I mean come on, is it even a real jet.
Re: What don't you like about your plane???
I've done maintenance on every regional aircraft type that flies in to YYZ.
I tell people that the Q-400 is my second favourite airplane.
My favourite is ANY OTHER ONE!!
I hate them! From a maintenance point of view they suck!
The amount of power they have is bl00dy impressive, but other than that ..................
I tell people that the Q-400 is my second favourite airplane.
My favourite is ANY OTHER ONE!!
I hate them! From a maintenance point of view they suck!
The amount of power they have is bl00dy impressive, but other than that ..................
Re: What don't you like about your plane???
The only thing I don't like about my plane is the fact I have to keep filling it with avgas Everything else I can live with for the privilege of flying.
"Carelessness and overconfidence are more dangerous than deliberately accepted risk." -Wilbur Wright
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Re: What don't you like about your plane???
I think you missed the a question mark there...av8ts wrote: ↑Fri Mar 30, 2018 5:06 pm The brakes do take getting used to. After landing you can press as hard as you want and for a few seconds nothing. Then they heat up and bam, everyone is in the seatback in front of them. The heating/cooling system is the same crap as the 300. At altitude with a good passenger load you have to freeze in the cockpit In order for the pax not to bake. It could have been a better plane but from what I understand Bombardier dumbed it down hoping companies would operate common type with the classic. I actually love flying it. I pity the Q400 f/o’s at Jazz who have to fly with the Captains who were on the jet. RJ this and RJ that all day long. I mean come on, is it even a real jet.
To answer your question though, it is not. Its a turbofan.
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Re: What don't you like about your plane???
Nothing, really, can I say that?
Wait! Trying to find hangar space for it especially in the winter when away from home base.
Wait! Trying to find hangar space for it especially in the winter when away from home base.
Last edited by Jet Jockey on Sun Apr 01, 2018 8:11 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: What don't you like about your plane???
Looks like a fish. Moves like a fish. Steers like a cow.
Re: What don't you like about your plane???
I second what JasonE said - I'm very lucky to fly, I'm not inclined to complain about the plane. I chose to make the purchase of each of my planes, ownership was not forced upon me. In each case, the characteristics which I was not in love with, were known, and that way for a reason. Those characteristics, decided years before aircraft ownership was possible for me, made it a good plane in its realm - it's up to me to choose them - I did!
Okay.... 31 years ago when I bought my 150, there were two, I wish I'd bought them both - 'best investment I've ever made!
Okay.... 31 years ago when I bought my 150, there were two, I wish I'd bought them both - 'best investment I've ever made!
Re: What don't you like about your plane???
The beaver could use a cup holder, maybe on the base of the control column :lol
Re: What don't you like about your plane???
I fly a Falcon........other than having to slow the damn thing down to 200kts to get the slats out, it's damn near perfect.
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Re: What don't you like about your plane???
I fly the 737. It's fun to fly but it has its faults. Tiny cockpit, noisy, etc, but the most annoying thing is the slightly updated 707 overhead panel. More specifically those *%*$#ing switches. If you x-rayed my head you would see about 1000 tiny dents from every time I've smashed my head into one of the switches.
Re: What don't you like about your plane???
No coffee cup holder, which could be an easy fix for a good MTC department!
Keep the dirty side down.
Re: What don't you like about your plane???
Having flown the twin otter I can’t stand the fact that the 1900 doesn’t have a personal door. I don’t think I’ll ever figure out how to gracefully get into my seat.
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Re: What don't you like about your plane???
One type I flew had three MTOW increases for the airframe without any changes. The first two were fine. The third one was over 1000 lbs, suffice to say it was often difficult to get a full payload in the plane while also being within CG. Eventually an STC came out to help, but there are still some limitations.
One type had been in service for about 50 years - then the regulator decided the AFM needed an amendment adding a cargo loading and tie-down section. Unfortunately the floor structure is not so strong. Now you can only (legally) load 65-70% of the maximum payload when flying cargo, and then only if the cargo is quite specific sizes and weights.
Various types I have flown have had no/very few/not well situated tie-down rings - they range from a minor inconvenience to a major hassle depending on the type plane and its use. Admittedly sometimes these are operator issues and not specifically a problem with the type.
One type had been in service for about 50 years - then the regulator decided the AFM needed an amendment adding a cargo loading and tie-down section. Unfortunately the floor structure is not so strong. Now you can only (legally) load 65-70% of the maximum payload when flying cargo, and then only if the cargo is quite specific sizes and weights.
Various types I have flown have had no/very few/not well situated tie-down rings - they range from a minor inconvenience to a major hassle depending on the type plane and its use. Admittedly sometimes these are operator issues and not specifically a problem with the type.