FS2002 Douglas DC-3 Mandated Airlines VH-MAL
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This aircraft was previously 'Betsy', the founding aircraft of Cathay Pacific Airways. Here she is in the colours of Mandated Air Lines of Papua New Guinea, registration VH-MAL, 1955-1963. Based on Jan Visser's legendary DC-3 model for FS2000, updated for FS2002, this model includes transparent cabin windows, nightlighting, lit 3D interior with opening passenger door, boarding ladder and other details. Includes FS2002 lights fix by Paul Pridmore. Default panel and sound. Repaint by Mark Beaumont.
Starting her career as a C-47 in wartime service, after her time at Cathay she moved on to New Guinea Airways and Mandated Airlines, PNG (this livery) before that company was taken over by Ansett and renamed Ansett M.A.L.
She often carried a mixture of passengers and freight. She later bore the more familiar Ansett livery from 1973 before moving on again to Bush Pilots Airways, Air Queensland, and finally back to Cathay and Hong Kong. She survives as an exhibit in the Hong Kong Science Museum today.
I have repainted her in all her major livery changes; see listings below. Please note that this particular livery was extremely hard to research, despite thorough investigation; the detail is based on one B&W nose shot of VH-MAL and a separate, indistinct B&W shot of VH-MAC, a sister ship, in Mandated livery. One of her original pilots confirms that her main side stripe was blue, but could not recall other details; so if, perchance, seeing my version jogs your own memory of this aircraft and you can advise me as to exact detail in any area, please do so and I'll produce an update in due course. Meanwhile, I think she looks pretty good, anyway. Mandated Airlines sported a visually pleasing livery.
The enclosed screenshot MAL5.JPG shows her as at 15 September 1960, when her co-pilot mistook the Captain's raised thumb on the starboard throttle as a signal to raise the gear. She came to an inglorious halt 2,700 feet from the start of her take-off run, severely damaged. Repairs took more than a month but she flew for many more years.
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INSTALLATION
Either:
Unzip DC3MANDA.ZIP directly to your main FS2002 folder. The folder 'Douglas DC-3 Mandated Airlines VH-MAL' will be installed in your FS2002/AIRCRAFT folder.
The smoke file will go to FS2002/EFFECTS.
Or:
Unzip to a temporary folder and move the respective folders to your FS2002 directory manually. This way you can ensure that no file is unwittingly overwritten.
Whichever way you do it, your new aircraft will appear in your FS2002 aircraft selection menu under the manufacturer 'Douglas' type 'DC-3', variation 'Mandated Airlines VH-MAL'.
No DC-3 sounds are included, but it is highly recommended that you replace the default file, which aliases to the C182, with realistic sounds. If this is not your first DC-3, then you may already have some; but otherwise, recommended are both those found on Trevor "Mr. DC3" Morson's site at www.douglasdc3.com (a must-visit site, in any case) or by sound guru Mike Hambly: search for the file DAKSND1.ZIP. Find this directly at: http://ftp.SurClaro.com/library/sendfile.php?DownloadID=12776.
Or, if you have the MAAM R4D-6, those sounds will do nicely!
You will also wish to install a decent panel; again, if you are a DC-3 buff, you will have a couple by now! I have not installed one here to save filesize but I recommend:
1. The panel by Jorge 'Eko' Salas', which is excellent for most use; I included it in my Cathay Pacific upload CPABETSY.ZIP and you can find it separately too.
2. The panel on which Jorge's panel is based, by Samuel Linnell.
3. The panel included with the MAAM R4D-6, known to every flightsimmer I think. This is a spectacular and very complex panel.
4. The DC-3 panel by James Underwood, which has interesting internal and external views.
5. Pasquale Rinaldi's DC-3 panel for FS2002.
6. The panel, with gorgeous internal views, that shipped with the Dutch Dakota Association's PH-DDZ; it comes with a very comprehensive manual.
Whatever you do, get rid of those C182 default aliases! Fly DC-3!
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OPERATION:
To move the pilots to the cockpit and turn on your navigation lights, hit SHIFT/L. To open/close the passenger door and lower/raise the ladder, use the "/" key.
Smoke can be activated by hitting the "I" key.
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CREDITS:
Jan Visser, for the original aircraft; together with Bill Rambow, Roy Chaffin and others, Jan remains on the leading edge of development within FS. This repaint is based on the model of PH-DDZ. Much of the base texture work is Jan's, together with interior textures etc., etc. I simply rearranged the curtains a little and slapped on a drop of paint.
The author of the smoke effect. I do not know who this is, but it is not a standard FS2002 effect.
Paul Pridmore for permission to use his FS2002 lights "fix" for this FS2000 model.
Martin Willing, author of "Betsy, The story of a DC-3" for his generosity and assistance. His are the only two photographs of VH-MAL in this livery that I have been able to find, and both those are small, partial and in black and white so this was not a straightforward repaint. Bill Bray and Tom Powell in Australia pinned down the livery colours for me.
Anyone else whose work might be here that I am unaware of. All files here, other than my repaint work, have been uploaded previously in the public domain as freeware. If anything is here that shouldn't be, please let me know and I'll replace it.
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Enjoy your PNG DC-3! Try a few of those jungle clearings ...
This package may not be redistributed or further modified without prior consent from ALL the authors listed in the credits. Each has their own policy for distribution and modification, so please ensure all are contacted. They can all be traced through the major flight simulation sites.
Here's a list of my other DC-3 repaints to date, available at Avsim, Flightsim and Simviation:
Cathay Pacific 'Betsy' VR-HDB (2) CPABETSY.ZIP (includes panel by Jorge Salas)
Cathay Pacific 'Betsy' Cargo CPABETSY2.ZIP (only at www.swiremariners.com\cxkaitak.html)
Cathay Pacific 'Nikki' VR-HDA CPANIKKI.ZIP
Ansett MAL VH-MAL ('Betsy') DC3ANSOC.ZIP
Ansett PNG VH-MAL ('Betsy') DC3ANSNC.ZIP (Pratt & Whitney engines)
Airlines of NSW 'Viewmaster' (P&Ws) DC3ANSW.ZIP
Bush Pilots Airways VH-MAL ('Betsy') DC3BPA.ZIP
Air Queensland VH-MAL ('Betsy') DC3AQAC.ZIP
BBA Cargo VH-BAB DC3BBA.ZIP
BOAC G-AGHE DC3BOAC2.ZIP
Dan-Air G-AMPP DC3DAN.ZIP
American Airlines N21798 DC3AAFK.ZIP
Lambair CF-CBJ DC3LAMB.ZIP
Air Vietnam XV-NIA DC3VIET.ZIP, DC3VIET2.ZIP (includes flight plans)
Bahamas Airways VP-BBU DC3BAHAM.ZIP
Delta Air Lines NC28341 DC3DELTA.ZIP
Swiss Air Lines HB-IRN DC3SWISS.ZIP
C-47 BBMF ZA947, Aces High N147DC C47RAF2.ZIP
C-47 USAAF 41-18385 C47BETSY.ZIP
All the above will benefit from the recommended upgrade DC3AIR.ZIP. The following uploads already have this upgrade:
Ansett ANA 'Cargomaster' DC3ANSCA.ZIP
Airlines of NSW 'Viewmaster' (Wrights) DC3ANSW2.ZIP
BEA 'Pionair' G-AHCZ DC3BEAPI.ZIP
Qantas VH-EDC DC3QNTAS.ZIP
Cambrian Airways G-AGHM, G-AHCZ DC3CAMB2.ZIP, DC3CAMUP.ZIP
Air France 'Aeropostale' F-BAIF DC3AIRFR.ZIP
There may yet be one or two more: as you may have gathered, I like the DC-3 and Jan Visser's model remains one of the greatest flightsim creations. These repaints, all recent, started with a long-overdue paint of the legendary "Betsy" for my own use, later shared; this led to paints of her other liveries in her long career, and the others simply caught my eye or were interesting requests. I'm trying to keep a little variation in order to have DC-3s to fly in different regions of the world; I shan't be simply wading through a particular country's registration list, or painting to someone's whim. There has to be a history!
Like everyone else, I await Jan Visser's GMAX bird with keen anticipation. What with that and a default DC-3 in FS2004, I won't be surprised if Boeing and Airbus find that they have some serious competition!
Visit my own site at:
www.swiremariners.com/cxkaitak.html
to find more about "Betsy", listings and downloads of Cathay Pacific aircraft and other add-ons for FS2002.
