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U.S. Customs and Border Protection DHC-8 "Dash 8"

The US Customs and Border Protection has found use in the Dash 8 as a Maritime Patrol Aircraft. While many countries turn to the aircraft, only two U.S. government organizations officially utilize the aircraft--the United States Air Force (E-9A) and the Customs and Border Protection. The U.S. Army also has a rumored 11 Dash 8 aircraft, though little is known of their mysterious black aircraft.

The DHC-8 (more affectionately known as the "Dash 8") has been around since 1983, originally produced by de Havilland Canada. In 1992 de Havilland Canada was bought by Boeing, though Bombardier managed to secure the rights to the DHC-8 and continued production. In 2019, De Havilland Canada was revitalized and production was resumed. The DHC-8-315 series used by CBP was produced in 1995 under Bombardier.

1. Turn on the "Main Batt", "Alternator" and "Avionics" switch on the overhead console
2. Increase throttle to ~10 using either the up/down arrow keys or the throttle control between the two seats
3. Turn on the "Beacon" switch on the overhead console and any other lighting as needed
4. Turn on the "E1 Start" and "E2 Start" switches on the overhead console
5. Use the buttons on top of the EFIS displays to select your desired screens
6. Disengage the propeller clutches with the "E1 Clutch" and "E2 Clutch" button on the overhead console

*NOTE* If the battery is dead, you can connect the aircraft to external power. HOWEVER, it will not charge or start unless the "EXT POWER" switch is on as well.

1. Turn on the taxi light with the "Taxi" switch on the overhead console
2. Release the parking brake with the "Brake Release" switch on the main panel
3. Engage Nose Wheel Steering with the "Nose Wheel Steering" switch on the main panel
4. Use the Up/Down arrow keys to increase or decrease the throttle to maintain a reasonable taxi speed
5. Use the Left/Right arrow keys to keep the nose wheel on the center line
6. While taxiing, drop 1 degree of flaps by clicking the "Flap Down" button once on the overhead console
7. Line up at the runway center line and re-engage the parking brakes with the "Brake Release" switch
8. Disengage nose wheel steering with the "Nose Wheel Steering" switch
9. Increase throttle to ~50 and release the brakes
10. Maintain center line until speed reaches ~35, then pull back ("S" key) to climb

*NOTE* While taxiing, use the "1" key (in either pilot or co-pilots seat) to use the toe brakes to slow down. This is much more stable and easier to use than the parking brake switch, and will help you control your taxi. This is also very helpful on landings to ensure you keep your landings short.

This aircraft does not currently have a full autopilot system. It does, however, have altitude, heading, and speed hold systems in place. To use these, maneuver to the desired altitude, heading or speed, then click the associated button on the overhead console.

*NOTE* Heading hold is still somewhat experimental. When using "Altitude Hold" and "Speed Hold" the aircraft is often stable enough as to avoid using "Heading Hold"

The radio (located at the bottom of the center panel) is turned on automatically with the "SYS PWR" switch on start-up. To use the radio, use the arrows on the touch screen to change the channel to transmit/receive. Then, from either the pilot or copilot's seat, pressing (and holding) the "2" key will allow you to transmit. To ensure you are transmitting, make sure the red "TX" lights up on the radio while transmitting. If the "TX" is not lit up, you will not be transmitting.

This is the first aircraft to use my EFIS system. This is also my first EFIS system in Stormworks, and is still experimental. I plan to add other camera feeds and an engine instruments page, but for now it consists of three pages.

When starting the system, all screens will be set to their fourth "OFF" position. To turn on the system, simply touch one of the 3 visible gray squares at the top of the screen.

Page 1
This page is the main EFIS screen. It contains your artificial horizon, with a yellow triangle representing your aircraft, blue representing the sky, and tan representing the ground. There are also white lines every 5 degrees at first and 10 degrees as you climb or descend. The white numbers on the left side represent your speed in knots. The white numbers at the bottom of the screen represents your heading (0 is north, 90 is east, 180 is south, 270 is west). The white numbers on the white side represent your altitude in feet.

*NOTE* There are only 3 altitude digits, though you may find yourself above 999 feet. If your altitude exceeds 999 feet, you'll see a white bar bordering the bottom of the altitude indicator. This represents that your altitude is actually one digit higher than indicated (i.e. 255 with no bar means you're at 255 feet. 255 with a white bar below the 5 means you're at ~2550 feet)

Page 2
This screen is the map screen. Pretty straight forward, though I plan to add a "zoom" feature soon.

Page 3
This is your camera screen. It is currently very simple, though I do plan on adding a button to switch to night vision and a second camera in the rear of the aircraft.

Please let me know if anyone has any comments or concerns, I'll do my best to fix any bugs and add improvements. Also feel free to let me know of any liveries you may want for the aircraft or other aircraft you wish to see me make. Lastly check out my other released aircraft such as the US Army UH-60, OH-58D, and CH-47. Thanks!