*****************************************
FS98 DOUGLAS DC-6B Cloudmaster American Air Lines 1955
Moving Parts Version 2 1/00
*****************************************
An FS2000 version of this aircraft is available at the Classic
Airliner Page: http://members.aol.com/TGFltsim/
This plane features a steerable nose gear and improved vertical tail
It is complete with moving landing gear, flaps, ailerons,
elevators, and rudder. It also features landing lights, realistic engine
start, and FS98 checklists.
Painted by Tom Gibson
All-new plane by Harry Follas and Tom Gibson
Metal textures by Harry Follas
Flight Model by Brian Horsey
Tom Gibson's comments:
I would like to thank Shoichiro Homma, Rich Boehringer, Dave McQueen,
and Mike Vidal for their help with this project.
I recommend my DC-6 IFR panel for flying this plane realistically. The
DC-6 IFR panel can be downloaded from the Classic Airliner Page;
http://members.aol.com/TGFltsim/panels.htm. You will need to change
the panel.cfg file; instructions are in the panel.cfg file.
I also recommend the DC-6 Sounds package, by Mike Hambly. It can be
downloaded from: http://members.aol.com/TGFltsim/sound.htm
You will need to change the plane's sound.cfg file - edit it in
Notepad; instructions are in the sound.cfg file.
It is also a lot of fun to use my FS98 Propliner Adventure or my
Startup/Shutdown adventure (use the one for R2800 engines), maximizing
the realism of the flight. Get it at the Classic Airliner Page,
http://members.aol.com/TGFltsim/
STEERABLE NOSE GEAR
The nose gear will rotate if you rotate your yoke or joystick (assuming you
have autocoordination ON). If you use rudder pedals instead, just copy the
xxx.mdl.rudder file in the aircraft's MODEL folder over the xxx.mdl file. If
you want to change back, just copy the xxx.mdl.aileron file over the xxx.mdl file.
REALISTIC ENGINE START
To start the engines realistically and individually, do this:
1. Go to spot view (SSSW) or look back at your engines (3 on the numeric
keypad with NumLock on).
2. Press Ctrl-Shift F1 to change mixtures to Idle Cutoff.
3. Press E3 to select engine #3.
4. Press M and then = (on the main keyboard); hold down the = key.
5. Wait for 6 prop blades to pass by.
6. Let go of the = key and press Ctrl-Shift F4 (mixture to Full Rich);
engine 3 will start.
7. Press E4 to select engine #4.
8. Repeat steps 4-6 to start engine #4.
9. Repeat steps 3-6 to start engines 2 and 1 (E2 and E1).
10. Normal start sequence is 3-4-2-1.
CHECKLISTS
To access the checklists while flying (even in full screen & 3D), press
Shift-C. You will step through the checklists, which are Before
Starting Engines, Starting Engines, Engine Run-up, Before Takeoff,
Takeoff Data (V speeds), Climb, Cruise, Before Landing, and After
Landing. The best spot to stash the checklist is in the upper left
corner, except on landing. Then put it on the left edge of the panel
just above the radar, and just to the left of the flight instruments.
Enjoy! Thanks to John Anderson for the checkedit program, which makes
editing checklists easy (available as chke11.zip from
www.SurClaro).
Installation:
DO NOT USE THE CONVERTER ON THIS PLANE; IT IS ALREADY IN FS98 FORMAT
The DC-6 was developed as a faster, larger, and pressurized
version of the DC-4 which first flew in 1946. This popular
airliner was faster than TWA's new 049 Constellation, and
allowed one-stop transcontinental service in 10 hours. When
more powerful P&W R-2800 engines became available, Douglas
decided to stretch the DC-6 by over 4.5 feet to produce the
DC-6B. The first DC-6B flew in February, 1951, and the first
operator was American Air Lines. Production of the DC-6B
reached 288 by the close of the production line in November,
1958. Produced in parallel with the DC-7 series, many airlines
found the DC-6B to be preferable to the DC-7's. The DC-6A was
a very similar plane designed especially for freighter service.
The reason for this preference is due to the impressive
operating statistics of the DC-6B. It had the best operating
economics of any large piston airliner of it's time, and
passengers also appreciated it's quietness, smoothness, and
general comfort. Douglas sold more DC-6B's than any other
civil airliner in the DC-4 to DC-7C series, which indicates
it's popularity with the public and the airlines. The virtues
of the DC-6B have endeared it to many recent operators, and
several are still flying today.
NOTE: This plane and many other classic airliners can be
downloaded free from Tom Gibson's Classic Airliner WEB site at -
http://members.aol.com/TGFltsim/
FLYING THE DC-6B
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: (FS98 airspeed indicator is calibrated in KNOTS!)
Initial rate of climb: 1,120 ft/min (700 fpm is good in FS).
Takeoff distance: 4,500 ft. @ sea level
Landing distance: 3,010 ft.
Empty weight: 54,148 lbs.
Maximum takeoff weight: 103,000 lbs.
Maximum landing weight: 88,200 lbs.
Normal range: 3860 miles
************************************************************************
**
Now the legal stuff:
COPYRIGHT 1999 BY TOM GIBSON AND HARRY FOLLAS, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
I INTEND ON OFFERING MANY LIVERIES OF THIS AIRCRAFT. AFX/PCX FILES
WILL BE AVAILABLE FROM THE FREEFLIGHT DESIGN SHOP
(http://www.geocities.com/~freefltdesign/).
THIS AIRPLANE IS THE PROPERTY OF THE AUTHOR, AND CANNOT BE
RE-SOLD OR PACKAGED WITH ANY PRODUCT FOR SALE, WITHOUT THE
EXPRESS WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE AUTHORS. THIS IS FREEWARE!!
YOU MAY UPLOAD THIS PLANE TO ANY OTHER SERVER THAT HAS A FREE
DISTRIBUTION POLICY. IF THIS PLANE IS UPLOADED TO RESTRICTED
SERVERS (I.E. COMPUSERVE FSFORUM)(NOT THE AUTHOR'S INTENTION),
IT MAY BE DOWNLOADED AND UPLOADED TO OTHER SERVERS. THIS
NOTICE CONSTITUTES THE AUTHORS' PERMISSION TO DO THIS.
THIS FILE ARCHIVE MAY NOT BE UPLOADED TO SERVERS THAT HAVE A CHARGE
FOR THEIR USE; IF A VIABLE FREE OPTION IS PROVIDED THIS FILE MAY BE
UPLOADED THERE.
THIS FILE ARCHIVE MUST REMAIN INTACT; YOU MAY NOT REMOVE AND UPLOAD
PARTS OF THIS ARCHIVE. THIS ENTIRE TEXT FILE MUST BE INCLUDED IN ANY
DISTRIBUTION. IF YOU REPAINT THE PLANE YOU MUST CREDIT THE ORIGINAL
AUTHORS IN YOUR TEXT FILE AND INCLUDE THIS TEXT FILE.
THE AUTHORS ARE NOT LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGE THAT YOU MIGHT
INCUR AS A RESULT OF USING THESE PRODUCTS. YOU ASSUME THE RISK
OF USE.
