FS2004 Douglas DC-3 Air Viet Nam XV-NIA
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This is a repaint for the default FS2004 DC-3 based on the DC3PAINT.ZIP paint package of Mark "Dark Moment" Beaumont. Some flight plans that Mark originally put together for his FS2002 version of this aircraft are also added as a bonus, covering routes that used to be flown by XV-NIA.
This DC-3 is painted from photographs taken by Mel Lawrence in 1961.
Air Viet Nam's DC-3s were first transferred from the US Navy in the Pacific (hence the white tail and grey rudder) to the French Army in the '50s (especially at Dien Bien Phu in 1954). Air France acquired them later from the French Army and built up Air Viet Nam in this decade, relinquishing control in 1975 when the war ended.
As a boy I flew on XV-NIA several times from Dalat (my hometown, 300km north of Saigon) and Nhatrang (my lyceum at the coast) to Saigon and back.
The flag on the tail is that of South Viet Nam pre-war. It has a yellow background and three red stripes which represented the three parts of Viet Nam: North, Middle (where the old capital Hue is found) and South Vietnam.
Why the green side stripe? Bamboo. Green bamboo means "noble and simple" for the Vietnamese. And the forward logo? Air France has a horse's head, so Air Viet Nam simply chose the dragon's one.
INSTALLATION:
1. Unzip DC3AV04.ZIP to a temporary folder. You should find you unpack a folder 'Air Vietnam'.
2. In your 'Flight Simulator 9/Aircraft/Douglas_DC3' folder, make a copy of the folder 'texture'
3. Name it 'texture.viet'
4. Within this download, you'll find a folder of the same name. Move the contents (two files) to the new folder you have just created and overwrite as prompted.
5. Back up your AIRCRAFT.CFG file (found in your 'Douglas_DC3' folder)
6. Open AIRCRAFT.CFG with a text editor. Paste the following under your last [flightsim.xxx] entry:
[fltsim.xx] (....change this number to the next in sequence)
title=Douglas DC-3 Air Vietnam XV-NIA
sim=Douglas_DC3
model=
panel=
sound=
texture=viet
kb_checklists=Douglas_DC3_check
kb_reference=Douglas_DC3_ref
atc_id=
ui_manufacturer=Douglas
ui_type="DC-3"
ui_variation="Air Vietnam XV-NIA"
description=Based on photographs of Air Vietnam's XV-NIA taken in 1961 by Mel Lawrence. Repaint by Tuan Ngo-Anh - my first repaint - with assistance from Mark Beaumont.
7. Save the file. You're done; she will appear in your aircraft selection menu accordingly.
Note that I have included a non-mipped main bitmap option for those who find problems with the blurries when using mipped files. Simply drop the file within the folder 'No mipmaps' into your new DC-3 folder 'texture.viet' and overwrite, if you prefer.
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FLIGHT PLANS
Four simple flight plans are included in DC3AV04.ZIP, which replicate the routes I flew on this aircraft in my childhood. They are:
DALAT to NHATRANG
NHATRANG to DALAT
DALAT to SAIGON
SAIGON to DALAT
The format has changed from FS2002: the contents of the folder "Flight Plans" in this download should go to your ".../My Documents/Flight Simulator Files/" folder.
Some useful information follows - for flying your DC-3 by hand NDB to NDB, as I know you won't be using GPS (!) - all of it in layman's language and approximate as I'm no pilot:
LIENKHOUNG (DALAT)
NDB: 330.0 DL (4.3nm west of airport)
Airport: VVDL
Full name: Lienkhoung
City: Dalat
Country: Viet Nam
Tower Frequency:118.40 MHz
Altitude: 3152 ft
Mag. Variation: 0.3 deg
Lat/Lon: N11°45.03' E108°22.43'
Runways: 9/27
Course LIENKHOUNG to NHATRANG 62°, approx 60nm. Course inbound to LIENKHOUNG 242°. Standby airport: CAMLY VVCL, NDB 350 CL, 10/28; NDB and airport are 13.6° 30nm NE of DALAT NDB, 251° 49.3nm WSW of NHATRANG
NHATRANG
NDB: None. Look for the coast.
Airport: VVNT
Full name: Nhatrang
City: Nhatrang
Country: Viet Nam
Tower Frequency:125.00 MHz
Altitude: 19 ft
Mag. Variation: 0.3 deg
Lat/Lon: N12°13.38' E109°12.00'
Runways: 12/30 5/23
To TANSONNHAT (SAIGON) from LIENKHOUNG, fly 234° 81.4nm SW to ANLOC NDB 320.0 AC; then 257 32.8nm to TANSONNHAT airport. Out of TANSONNHAT to LIENKHOUNG, fly 78° 32.8nm to ANLOC, then 51° for 81.4nm NE.
TANSONNHAT
NDBs: 343.0 GN, 375.0 GV, 50nm range (ILS 25R/7L 110.50, VOR 116.70, 195nm range if you must!)
Airport: VVTS
Full name: Tansonnhat
City: Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City)
Altitude: 32 ft
Length/Width: 9984 ft 148 ft
Lat/Lon: N10°48.84' E106°38.63'
Runways: 7L, 25R
7R, 25L
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Please bear in mind that these files are reworked as freeware from Microsoft orginals, and thus are only of any use to users who have purchased FS2004; they must not, under any circumstances, be bundled in commercial products of any kind or included in any package that is charged for or sold.
