MJC8 Q400 Pro Edition Publisher: Majestic Software

Review Author: Justin Cogo Suggested Price: $90.00

Bombardier Dash 8 - Q400

The Bombardier Dash 8-400, otherwise known as the Q-Series, Q400, is the latest and most popular version of the Dash 8. It is almost twice as popular as some of the previous versions of the aircraft and new variants of it will be produced in the future.

Majestic Software - MJC8 Q400 Pro Edition

The creators of this product, Majestic Software, have created the Dash-8 Q400 aircraft for both real world and personal flight simulator needs. This MJC8 Q400 project started as a Flight Navigation Procedures Trainer (FNPT), a type of flight simulator used in the real world to train pilots which is thus very detailed, down to recreation of icing effects (including visual effects) and propeller effects upon the airframe. Majestic Software was going to make a FNPT but instead decided to make it for the desktop computer system thus there are many features above and beyond your normal flight simulator aircraft.

Features of the MJC8 Q400 - Pro Edition

The MJC8 Q400 comes in three varieties, Pilot, Pro, and Training Edition. This review focuses on the recently released Pro edition, which is the most recent edition released.

The normal (Pilot version) features of this Q400 package are, custom flight dynamics engine, weather radar, TCAS, FMS, virtual cockpit, additional liveries, passenger announcements, FMS FPL winds, system state saving, custom sounds, and control panel app.

In this Pro Edition, the added features that make it special over the Pilot Edition are:

• Shared cockpit feature
• FMS ETP/PNR functionality
• Customizable failure system
• 2D panels
• Headup guidance system
• Circuit breakers simulation
• 4x smoother controls
• Alternate gear extension
• Sound system advanced mode
• System control application
• Autopilot TCS mode

In this review I will talk about all the features of the Q400 Pro Edition and highlight specific Pro Edition features.

First Impressions

The first time starting the Q400 I chose to use the Alaska Airlines (Horizon) paint scheme and put myself in Anchorage with the Horizon Q400 parked next to the Alaska Airlines hangar as this sounded like the most fun flight for me. I am using Aerosoft's Anchorage X for this flight.

Taking a close look at the airplane from the outside it seems to have a good model with all the correct parts included. Then I notice the big propellers, shaped elegantly and sitting in a feather angle. I have only flown a Q400 in Flight Simulator once or twice so I'm already super excited to try it.

As I see nothing I dislike about the outside I decide to jump into the cockpit. Inside all gauges seem to be working, not any buttons missing, etc., and I think I want to go flying!

   

Aircraft Specifications

Internal Aircraft Features

The inside of the aircraft includes a fully modelled 3D virtual cockpit, 2d Pop up cockpit panels, passenger cabin and a luggage compartment. First I will focus on the cockpit features. The Q400 has a two-person cockpit with a large number of switches, buttons, and aircraft systems even though it is only a twin-propeller aircraft. This is what makes it a unique and fun aircraft to fly.