Nakata77 - er82 is correct. The DHC8-400 has 3 propellor rpm settings - 1020rpm for take off, 900rpm for climb, and 850rpm for cruise. The climb setting of 900rpm is bypassed for various reasons.
With regard to your point about the unease you feel due to the increase in rpm from 850 to 1020 on the approach, you have my sympathy. The reason this is done is in case the aircraft has to carry out a missed approach. During such a manoeuvre, the aircraft may need maximum power in a worst case scenario, and this is achieved at 1020rpm. Some DHC8-400 operators around the world have a modification to the Go Around button, so that when pressed during a missed approach, the props immediately increase from 850 to 1020. This modification allows them to carry out normal approach and landings with the props at a more comfortable 850rpm. Unfortunately, our powers that be must have decided that this optional extra was not required, so 1020rpm must be selected manually on every approach, just in case of a go around.
With regard to the nose-diving sensation, again you have my sympathy. When we first got the 400s, the normal landing flap setting was 15 degrees, and with a landing speed equal to 1.3 x stall speed. This meant that landing in icing conditions (an extra 15-20 kts) at GCI (the shortest runway we use) put the fear of god into some. It was therefore decided that on runways of less than 1800m, a flap setting of 35 degrees would be the mandatory setting, which reduced the landing speed a little bit. However, it was also realised that the landing speed should actually be 1.23 x stall speed, and as this slowed the touchdown by up to 12 kts in some circumstances, the reduction in speed offered by flap 35 over 15 became less important, but the 1800m runway rule has somehow stayed in place.
However, some of our pilots choose to land at all our destinations with the flaps set to 35, and when the flaps are moved from 15 to 35, this causes the marked nose down pitch that you find so uncomfortable. Personally, I found flap 35 landings as uncomfortable as you do, so chose to land in this configuration only when I had to.
Last edited by flybe.com; 27th Jan 2005 at 16:23.