sky7 said:
I tried a search so link me and forgive me if I am resurecting.
Horizon dash pilots always deploy spoiler/speed brakes when cleared for t/o or po-and-ho, then retract them with power up. My uneducated stab is something to do with arming them for a rejected t/o.
anyone? Thanks
Horizon may have a different version of the Dash 8 200 that Ive flown, but the -200's I flew only had the spoilers pop up if you moved the control wheel a certain amount, and then it was only on the down wing side. And then on landing or rejected takeoff, they were armed by the the power levers going beyond a certain point.
Now the -100 model had a spoiler "switch", that armed them for take off (rejected take off) and landing. What happens is when you arm them, they pop up and you see that on the powered flight control dispaly, that simply shows the spoilers "up". When the power levers are moved out of ground range the spoilers retract. So really what you are seeing is simply the system testing itself when it is armed (maybe QX dash 200s have a different system).
On the Dash 100,200, and 300 models you cannot deploy the spoilers in flight, no airbrake handle since you have two 13 foot diameter ones on each wing anyway!
There is a third set of spoilers/airbreaks on the Dash as well, they are in the center of the wings, but I think most operators have those disabled??
Just fyi, if I remember correctly it was a fairly long runway requirement (especially if it was wet) for a ground spoiler failure in flight, 5500 feet or so I think. The airplane was real heavy without the roll spoilers too, makes for a fun single engine approach in the sim :argue:
Just looking at some pictures of QX 400s I found this
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/0233967/L/
if you look, you see a switch labeled spoilers, (flight/taxi) that is the switch that gets "flipped" as you taxi onto the runway, and the spoilers pop up. It is up (or in the flight mode) because it is a magnetically held switch in the taxi position, a power loss, ie engine shutdown, will cause it to spring to the flight position.
