Hikoushi is completely right in what he says about abrupt power changes not countered by rudder inputs (be it via trim or via the pedals) - nothing to be added here.
Another little point maybe, as winter is coming up here. Be extra careful when reaching the parking position on a slippery surface; do not allow any ground equipment or personnel near the aircraft until the engines are feathered. You will taxi into the parking stand with both props about at Disk and running at ca. 660rpm; feathering them will take the blade angles from approx. 0° all the way to full feather, passing the normal thrust-producing area and reducing the prop speed to its normal 220rpm in Start/Feather along the way. There is plenty of energy stored in a spinning propeller, so feathering it will give the aircraft a final push, often causing it to lurch more than 1 meter forward on a slippery surface (with the parking brake set!) - and this is a potential killer when ground crew is close by. Often, ground crew is completely unaware of this; I have stopped counting the times I had to have the GPU or the chocks removed again before shutting the engines. Also, for the same reasons, by all means feather both props at the same time under those circumstances - You would not want an asymmetric slide on a narrow parking stand.
One more thing that applies to all aircraft, but has more visible effect on the DH8 due to its lower speeds compared to jets: the proper choice of cruising flight levels can make the difference between an on-time arrival and serious delay. In case of strong headwind at FL250, consider a cruise at FL180 or 190 - this will both result in higher TAS and lower headwind in most cases. Of course, the higher fuel flow in these levels needs to be minded then, although its impact is somewhat reduced by the higher GS.
Also - on the ground, by all means avoid going into the lavatory when alone in the aircraft. Failure to observe this rule has caused many a colleague to be trapped in the loo - if the cockpit door opens approx. 1/3, it blocks the sh¡t house door - you can open it only a few cm any more and there is no way to get out without someone else helping You. Only DH could have come up with 5 doors within 1 m of fuselage length...
Last edited by Tu.114; 24th Dec 2011 at 13:23.