WestWind Airlines

Why does the WWA Dash 8-300 (for FSX) have such crappy range.  I'm limited to just over 400miles before I run out of fuel.  This is a plane that should do closer to 800. 

 Also what is the official max speed?

Its a twin prop, what did you expect? As for fuel, did you depart with full fuel? What was your cruise? Did you feather the props? What speed did you cruise at? All those things and many more are variables, and it being a turpoprob, fuel burn has many variables...

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Eoin Coates,
VP-Hub Ops-E&P

Full fuel, cruise is usually between 220 and 250 (ive been experimenting for range), i just feathered my props and it seems that it got a whole lot better, im in the middle of a flight, ill know in a few minutes

 

Yeah 220-250 is good... Feathering will help lower your fuel burn...

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Eoin Coates,
VP-Hub Ops-E&P

so i would just turn on autofeather, it seems to have only helped a little bit.  My range is now a little over 500 and I have a nice tail wind.

I can't tell by your post what your experience level is so I will assume you are fairly new. The main killers of fuel consumption are:

• altitude. Are you climbing to an altitude that is appropriate for the plane. If you are flying at 10,000 ft, you wont get very far. The higher the better the fuel consumption. I don't know what the norm is for the Dash 8. On the G550, anything less than FL510 really impacts fuel consumption and range.
• Reduce your cruise speed. If you leave it wide open, you will burn up a lot of fuel.
• Feathering the props means to make it so they do not grab the air. They are useless when fully feathered. You use feathering to keep a dead engine from creating drag. Autofeather automatically feathers a dead engine so does no good in reducing fuel consumption. I think the conept you want is to reduce the RPM on the props. I am not too familiar with this in turboprops but IIRC, reducing the RPM causes the props to take a bigger bite of air and work less doing it. Once at altitude, reduce the RPM according to the checklist. (This is like going to a higher gear on a bicycle. You get more bang for a little effort.)
• Temperature. On real hot days you will use more fuel but I doubt that is your problem here as it would not cause that big a problem.
• Make sure you have not left the gear down or the flaps down. That will eat up a lot of fuel.

Some of these were mentioned by others.

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EVP Hub Operations, Sr. Test Pilot
Senior Command Captain +4
RWP SEL Instrument Rating (almost)
FSX-SP2 + Radar Contact
Orbiter, FaceBook

I can't speak for the FSX Dash-8, but on the FS9 Dash8-Q400 I'm getting in the neighborhood of 1000 miles (with about 25% remaining) cruising at 22,000 to 26,000 ft altitude and bringing the prop levers and throttle back to a power setting of around 85%. My fuel flow at this setting is a little over 1000 lb/hr.  I'm using this aircraft for the P001 charter and traversing the Atlantic via Greenland and Iceland. My indicated airspeed at those settings has been right around 200 kts, but flying West to East my ground speed has been around 370 kts.

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Bob S.
Senior Command Captain+2
E.V.P. Scenery

i was going to try to reduce the rpm but I couldn't find the lever.  Anyone know where it is.  I'm going to try greater FL's.  ive been flying at or around 11,000-FL200.  It seemed I was sucking a lot of fuel on take off and climb, even at 10deg pitch so i was keeping it low.

 As far as my experience level, im fairly experienced with jets, very much so with military jets (FA-18, not FSX crappy model, dedicated sim).  Almost none with turbo props though and im new to WW.

NY Drew:

i was going to try to reduce the rpm but I couldn't find the lever.  Anyone know where it is.  I'm going to try greater FL's.  ive been flying at or around 11,000-FL200.  It seemed I was sucking a lot of fuel on take off and climb, even at 10deg pitch so i was keeping it low.

 As far as my experience level, im fairly experienced with jets, very much so with military jets (FA-18, not FSX crappy model, dedicated sim).  Almost none with turbo props though and im new to WW.

I think the altitude is going to make a big diffference. It takes a lot of fuel to get up high but the engines are much more efficient at higher altitudes.

Reduce the RPMs by moving the prop lever. There should be a gauge in the cockpit that shows RPMs. (Feather the props by reducing the RPM's to zero.) You should also try reducing the mixture controls. On turboprops, it is not a mixture control but the idea is similar. I forget the correct terminology. This will also help on taxi.

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EVP Hub Operations, Sr. Test Pilot
Senior Command Captain +4
RWP SEL Instrument Rating (almost)
FSX-SP2 + Radar Contact
Orbiter, FaceBook

I do not have specific information on the Dash 8 but I did operate with Dash 7s. The Dash 7s operated at notably lower altitudes and slower speeds as compared to the B300s. Where as the 300s would use FL220 to FL260 as normal best range altitudes the Dash 7s operated around 16,000'. Our Dash 7s did have long range tanks in them giving them exceptional distance and loiter time, however this was at the expense of cargo load. I would assume that the Dash 8s would be much the same, very similar aircraft minus two of the engines of the Dash 7s. It would also surprise me if the Dash 8s could take-off with maximum fuel and passengers (airplanes hardly ever have the ability to take-off with max fuel and payload). Thus I suspect that you have two modes or operating; a ferry capability in which you can load up with full fuel and no to minimal passengers to get the 1,200nm specific range and another where you must download fuel (and range) but carry lots of passengers.

So my recommendations; one check your starting weight and balance. MSFS aircraft are known for “starting” overweight. With a full load of passengers and fuel I suspect that you are overweight and need to make the decision to carry passengers or fuel. If you take-off overweight you have just killed the performance of the airplane and you are now a test pilot. Who knows what range the airplane will have as it has not be tested for that condition.

Second; make sure you are not stalling out during climb, climb to an initial altitude that will allow for normal operations. For the Dash 7s this would be 16,000’ and for Dash 8s I’d recommend starting at the upper teens and maybe very lower 20s. You have to keep your bucket speed up during the climb, or your spending fuel on climb that is not worth it. If your VSI drops significantly as well as your airspeed you have found the specific altitude for that day under those conditions. Do not try to climb above that altitude and I recommend descending some.

Cruise, in the Dash 8s is actually controlled by the FADEC, but FSX does not have a FADEC system simulated. Thus it is up to the pilot to manually pull the power and propellers into cruise range. IIRC this is about 1200 RPMs on the props for the Dash 8s. I normally set power (torque) based on fuel flow. In the B200s I like 300 pph per engine where as the 300s and 1900s I set about 400 pph. You will need to find a good speed versus fuel flow for the Dash 8.

Finally, I always recommend that you work your way up to long range flights in new aircraft. In MSFS there are no performance charts, thus if you try to take an airplane out to its maximum range on the first flight then you may be surprised to find it cannot make it.  It might be the FDE or it may just be the weather. Specific range is based on a manufacture’s chosen environment.

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-KenG
A358 (Retired)

Ken G:

Finally, I always recommend that you work your way up to long range flights in new aircraft. In MSFS there are no performance charts, thus if you try to take an airplane out to its maximum range on the first flight then you may be surprised to find it cannot make it.  It might be the FDE or it may just be the weather. Specific range is based on a manufacture’s chosen environment.

This is great advice Ken - I left a virtual smoking hole in the ground about the size of a CRJ in the hills of Pennsylvania when I neglected it...and bad wx caused a missed approach!

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Matt Smith, WWA2218, CAT IV
Rio de Janeiro (SBGL) Hub
FSX Acceleration/Vista64

IIRC max altitude on the Dash 8 airplanes is FL250.....

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EHAM-YSSY B772LR
ATP, CFI, CFII & MEI, CL30, 727, 737-200, DC-9
FS9, Active Sky 6.5 w/ASG, FSPax

I took the WWA FSX Dash 8-300 for a trip from KBUF to KBOS. About 1.5 hours of flying time with a cruising altitude of 17,000' a speed of 200 KIAS and an OAT of -11 I burned a respectable 2,224 pounds of fuel with a climb burn of 1,750 pph, a cruise burn of 1,300 pph and a descent burn of 1,200 pph. Based on the calculations provided by the IGS FMS the range without reserves was right about 1,150nms. Fairly close to the 1,200nm maximum range of the Dash 8 as advertised. Props were set to 850 RPMs for cruise which was fairly deep, almost in the feather posistion according to my throttle quad. I guess this is how Barry and the crew set this aircraft up. No worries as the propellers continued to spin just fine.

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-KenG
A358 (Retired)

"FA-18, not FSX crappy model, dedicated sim"

 

Just as a side note , is that Jane's F/A-18?   I flew the heck out of that sim (still do once in a while) and did some virtual squadron stuff for a bit...wish Jane's would make an updated version (never happen I know) for today's 'puter capabilities.

Personally think Jane's was/is the best military flight sim out there...

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Concur

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Ed Bleck - WWA 843
Singapore Hub (WSSS)

"I'd rather die while I am living than live when I am dead." Jimmy Buffet