The DC-6 IFR Panel contains an updated HOW TO FLY THE DC-6 file; use that file if you are using that panel! However, for those without the panel:
This plane has flight dynamics that make the climb and cruise performance more accurate. Below 10,000 ft, you can fly without particular worry (monitor airspeed on climbs, though). Any higher, and you will have to start using the prop controls (blue squares) to maximize performance (above 8-10,000 ft. I find 2300 rpm works well. You will not be able to reach cruise speeds of 260-270 knots TAS at higher altitudes without adjusting the prop controls.
Also, adjusting the mixture such that the EGT (exhaust gas temp.) is 50 degrees below maximum EGT will also improve performance (you will need to turn on Mixture Control in Aircraft/Aircraft Settings/Engines/Mixture Control); 50 degrees is about two movements of the needle). I usually end up with a setting about halfway down the quadrant at 20,000 feet, with the needles hovering about half way up the scale.
Even when you have adjusted the controls properly, when you attempt to climb above 8-10,000 ft on the autopilot, you will notice your speed begin to drop. Monitor your Manifold Pressure (MAP) gauges, and as they drop increase the throttle to keep MAP constant. Also, monitor KIAS (Indicated Airspeed, set this in Options/ Preferences/ Instrument/ Display Indicated Airspeed), and if it drops much below 140 knots, level out, allow speed to increase, and then begin climbing again. This is quite accurate; prop airliners (and many jets above 25,000 ft) had to climb in steps to eventually reach cruising altitude, often waiting to become lighter as fuel burned off. When fully loaded with fuel, the recommended cruising altitude for a DC-6B was only 15,000 ft; you can climb later as fuel burns off. Typical cruising
altitudes for long distance DC-6B flights were at 17-24,000 ft. At a true airspeed of 260 knots TAS (normal cruise speed), your indicated airspeed will be around 201 knots KIAS.
As an example, Dave McQueen sent me a record of a PAA Stratocruiser flight from Honolulu to Travis AFB (near San Francisco), and the climb steps/time were:
Alt. Time
9,000 1126
11,000 1300
13,000 1430
13,000 1600
15,000 1720
15,000 1830
17,000 1930
Thus he started his final climb from 9,000 ft at 11:30 am,
stopped climbing at 11,000 (short time),
stopped climbing at 13,000 (1hr. 30 min.),
stopped climbing at 15,000 ft (1 hr),
and didn't get up to 17,000 ft until 7:30 pm!
DC-6B's had considerably better performance than that; you should be able get up to cruising altitude in about a half hour, if you adjust your controls every 5 minutes or so for maximum performance. Above 8-10,000 feet you'll need to stop climbing when the speed gets below 170 KIAS or so, usually every 2-4,000 ft. (odd thousands for heading 0-179 degrees (9,000, 11,000, 13,000, etc.), even thousands for heading
180-359 degrees) (now you know why they carried a flight engineer!). I hope you enjoy the new accuracy, if not you may change the Induced Drag Scalar in Options/Design Aircraft/Performance (FS5) or ADE98 to 0.12 instead.
The range of around 3,800 miles should be quite doable with the plane's current fuel consumption (around 2-600 gallons/hr if prop and mixture are set correctly, 4-700 gal/hr without mixture control (this will still give almost proper ranges)). A good number for average fuel consumption is 300 gal/hr with mixture control, 450 gal/hr without.
For other details and checklists on how to fly the DC-6B, see the file on the Classic Airliner Page about "How to Fly the DC-6". Enjoy!
Specifications: (FS2000 airspeed indicator is calibrated in KNOTS!)
