DH8 Q400 Question

[Hampshire Hog]

Having just flown back from GLA to SOU with Flybe, I was curious about something that happened just before the flaps activated on approach.

Briefly, the prop/engine sound changed and it felt like the guys up front had put on the brakes. Bearing in mind that the senses can play some great tricks when sitting in the back of any airoplane, the feeling of slowing down suddenly and substantially was really noticable. As a student PPL, I was interested in what it was, but the lady sat next to me looked absolutely terrified and told me she didn't like flying on these planes.

Can anyone tell me what this was likely to be? My guess was that this aircraft is slowed using the prop pitch, but I really have no idea.

Thanks

HH

[Megaton]

What you heard and felt were the props going from 850 to 1020 rpm in preparation for landing. Unfortunately, it is noisy and, for some, a little uncomfortable.

[Hampshire Hog]

Ah, right. Thanks for that Ham Phisted.

I see you're rated on type. Can you tell me why it felt like the aircraft had stopped in mid-air? And why is the prop speed increased for landing? Sorry, but as a humble student with only fixed pitch prop experience, this is all a bit of a mystery to me.

On a broader note, what are these things like to fly? Apart from the odd scary sound and feeling - like that I described - they feel quite nice to travel in the back.

Cheers,

HH

[MarkD]

HH

some discussion on Q400 here:

http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?threadid=160163&perpage=15&highlight=q400&pagenumber=1

high rpm on approach is in case of a missed approach it seems.

[Hampshire Hog]

Cheers,

Interesting reading.

HH

[Rollingthunder]

Gotta love STOLs.