sweep 0 #1 July 14, 2004 Hey folks, One of our best pilots is soon leaving us to fly planes with seats, specifically Dash-8s (Dehavilland I think). I'm sure I've heard of someone using one as a jump plane and it would be really cool if anyone had an exit photo or something like that we could print off and frame up for him.... I'm sure he'll be back once he realises they're awful stuffy with the doors on and it's odd landing with people on board.... But it would be good to drop him a hint..... Many thanks for any help, Sweep---- Yay! I'm now a 200 jump wonder.... Still a know-it-all tho.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nacmacfeegle 0 #2 July 14, 2004 Google>images type DHC8 into the search box, or go here http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1155404#1155404-------------------- He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me. Thomas Jefferson Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
winsor 236 #3 July 14, 2004 QuoteHey folks, One of our best pilots is soon leaving us to fly planes with seats, specifically Dash-8s (Dehavilland I think). I'm sure I've heard of someone using one as a jump plane and it would be really cool if anyone had an exit photo or something like that we could print off and frame up for him.... The DHC-8 is a great plane, but has many drawbacks as a jump ship. On the up side, it, like nearly any aircraft from Canada, can take off and land damn near anywhere. It is not certificated as a STOL aircraft, but qualifies as such in practice - we would operate at gross from 33-Right at Boston/Logan, which is pretty short. Though it doesn't help jump operations, its demonstrated crosswind capability is nothing short of awesome. Our normal operations included a 36 knot crosswind component, and I have landed one with 34 knots coming abeam (not a barrel of laughs, but doable). As far as reliability goes, you could hardly do better. There has never been a fatality in a Dash, and they have logged millions of hours. On the down side, they're expensive. They start out at $18,000,000 a copy for the base model (new), and can get much more pricey by the time you get to the Q400. Even if you get one used for cheap, you are committed to maintenance of a multimillion dollar aircraft. Since they gross well over 12,500#, the PIC needs a type rating. In addition, the normal crew includes two pilots. These are not going to be 275 hour pilots with newly-minted commercial tickets looking to build time, either. As far as capacity goes, you could easily fit 60 jumpers into a -100 series when stripped of seats. In order to keep one near capacity without shutting down the engines after every load, you need maybe 200 jumpers dedicated to packing and jumping - more if you expect to fit in dirt-dives and breaks. That makes operation at anything but the biggest dropzones or boogies out of the question. For exit, you have a problem with door arrangement. Using the airstair, you aren't going to be able to the port side prop, and I don't advise going head to head with those 13" paddles. In order to use the cargo door you must first remove the aft bulkhead. I'm not sure what is involved in getting one of them certificated to fly with the cargo door removed, but there's no way I'm going to get in the way of that door if open in flight - it's heavy, and closes with authority. If someone has a Dash-8 dedicated to jump operations, I will be happy to either fly it or jump it. I do, however, consider many other aircraft much better suited to jump operations. Blue skies, Winsor Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
