This free add-on aircraft is for purchasers of the MAAM-SIM R4D/DC-3 for FS2004, only. You must have the R4D/DC-3 installed in your FS2004 BEFORE you attempt to install this add-on. The XC-47C self-installer will not run unless the full R4D/DC-3 package is present. You may purchase the CD from the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum On-line Store at www.maam.org. All proceeds from CD sales go to support the museum and its restoration programs.
The Douglas XC-47C # 42-5671 was a 1943 prototype attempt to create a viable amphibious version of the workhorse C-47 by adding a pair of Edo 78 floats. Its flight performance, especially the takeoff, was less than spectacular, and a trial with rocket assisted takeoff proved unsatisfactory. Historical accounts vary on the number of amphibian Gooney Birds that were actually put into service, although 150 sets of floats were reportedly built for field installation. Most authorities cite five aircraft, some of which were said to have been used in the Pacific and Alaskan theaters for air-sea rescue missions. Until this year, one example of the type still existed, owned by Folsom's Air Service of Greenville Maine, but the floats have recently been stripped from it, probably forever.
IMPORTANT! If yours is a default, or standard FS2004 installation (C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Flight Simulator 9) simply follow the steps immediately below. Otherwise, proceed to the Alternate Installation Instructions.
ALTERNATE INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS FOR NON-DEFAULT FS9 DIRECTORIES
Because the XC-47 installer will check for the presence of the MAAM-SIM R4D/DC-3 in the default FS2004 directory, you must create a temporary, dummy installation if you don't have it installed there. There is no need to change anything in your actual FS2004 setup to do this.
1. Place your MAAM-SIM R4D/DC-3 CD in your CD-ROM drive and open it using Windows Explorer or My Computer.
2. Double-click on the self-installing archive "R4DC3FS9.exe"
3. Follow the on-screen directions, but DO NOT CHANGE THE INSTALLATION PATH. Rather, allow the aircraft to install to the default FS9 path. When you get the message that the destination directory does not exist, say YES that you want it to be created.
4. Once you have created this dummy installation, you can proceed with the XC-47C installation, as above, changing the installation path to match yours, when prompted by the installer to select an installation directory.
Using Windows Explorer or My Computer, you may now delete the dummy "Flight Simulator 9" folder you have created under C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games. The only things in that directory will be the R4D/DC-3 folders and files, unless you have used this path before for an installation.
However, if you have the room to spare on your hard drive (the R4D/DC-3 package takes up about 161 MB), you can just leave it there, if you wish. Future add-ons for the R4D/DC-3 package will use the same procedure and this will save you having to go through the dummy procedure again. But if you do not want to use the HD space, it's no big deal; the whole dummy installation takes just about one minute, (after you have found and opened the R4D/DC-3 CD ;-)
Why is all this cloak and dagger business necessary, you may ask? Well, we are giving away, with this add-on, what amounts to a useable aircraft model, and although we are all Freeware developers at heart, our purpose as members of MAAM-SIM is to support the Mid Atlantic Air Museum and its restoration programs by selling our creations. This free add-on, and others we will be releasing for the MAAM-SIM R4D/ DC-3 are just that - add-ons. They are intended to give our CD purchasers extra value for their donation to MAAM, and, we hope, to spur further sales of the product. None of our packages make changes to your system registry, which is why we can't make the add-on find your nonstandard FS installation.
With the exception of a couple peculiarities, you should follow the normal manual procedures, checklists, and reference pages for the DC-3 when flying the XC-47C. As you would expect, takeoff runs will be slightly longer on land, and considerably longer on water. Top and cruise speeds are reduced by the tremendous drag of the huge floats to about 20 mph below normal (the DC-3 checklists and reference pages do not reflect this). Approach and landing are normal, which means you should set her down in a slight tail-low attitude. Be careful that the rear wheels touch down first, then allow the forward wheels to settle as the speed bleeds off.
This is the only DC-3 you will ever fly that sits level, so visibility on the ground or water will be no problem. But, just because you will no longer be flying a tail dragger, don't let that fool you into thinking this will make the amphib easier to ground steer than the normal three-wheeler. The forward wheels, like the tail wheel of the standard DC-3, are free castoring, meaning non-steerable. You will find, if anything, that she is even harder to ground steer than her land-bound sisters, requiring both differential throttle and brakes, as well as a deal of practice to get her to go where you want. Water taxiing is pretty easy by comparison, once you get her moving.
It takes almost full power to get moving in the water from a dead stop. Water rudders are deployed by the default FS key command of Shift + W and function in concert with the air rudder. You should deploy them only after reaching taxi speed after landing and remember to retract them before starting your takeoff run.
Thanks to all of you who have supported MAAM by your R4D/DC-3 CD purchase, and we hope you enjoy this exciting, exceedingly rare, variation of the venerable Douglas DC-3."
