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Douglas DC-8 Super 61 Version 2
National Airlines, circa 1968
August 2000
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This model is for FS2000 only.

This is a pretty good model of the DC-8-60 series!
There is a good description of the DC-8 series at Project Freewares website. The Super 61 and 63 were the longest "stretch" of the DC-8 series aircraft and were the last DC-8's built by Douglas.
This Eastern paint job is based on a picture I found over at Airliners.net.

Credits:
Kim Simmelink: The original FSFS designer of this model.
Dee Waldron: AF99 upgrade, including the FS2k night lighting and animation.
Paul Nichols: Flight Dynamics modeling.
Yannick Charland: for the wing textures.
Michael Verlin: National textures

This aircraft was specially prepared by North American Executive Airlines at their Atlanta Maintenance Center. Please visit our DC-8 project website at:
http://www.wvaa.net/nea/dc8.html

Installation
If everything goes right, this should be easy. I spend a lot of time working on these zip file structures to ensure easy installation.
After unzipping the NAL_DC8.ZIP package, you should have:
1. DC8-60.TXT this text file
2. and a folder named DC8-60
Inside the DC8-60 folder are all the goodies to make this airplane work with FS2k. The tree structure of DC8-60 should be preserved from unzipping when using WinZip (you can not use PKUNZIP for DOS, it will not support long file names), so all you need to do is copy the DC8-60 folder into your FS2k\Aircraft folder. Now you're finished.

This model has working landing lights (lamps only). Animation includes all of the primary and secondary control surfaces, and the landing gear. Landing gear includes all working door details.
Please note that the DC-8 has no spoilers or leading edge slats.

FS2k Considerations
FS2000 panel: Olav Roennigen's OMR DC8 V.2 as modified by Michael Verlin, available at SurClaro and AVSIM.
As far as night lighting in FS2k is concerned, nothing fancy, it has cabin windows that light up in the dark. No logo light on the tail since this is a 1969 paint job!

Flying the DC-8
We are still learning to fly the DC-8 ourselves! Its a big, long airplane. Planning is everything with this airplane. You must stay ahead of it!
The landing gear has a very long wheel base and a narrow wheel track. Ground handling isn't to difficult though if you plan ahead. In tight areas, slow down!
At MTOW, set the flaps to 15 degrees and increase the power to 100% N1. Expect the airplane to roll about 8000 to 9000 ft before reaching Vr (about 145 kts). DO NOT PULL THE NOSE UP STEEPLY. You'll hit the tail! At V2 and positive rate of climb, gear up and look for a target speed of about 180 kts and climb 2200 ft/min. As you clean up the flaps during your climb, the airspeed will increase quickly. You will have to reduce power quite a lot to keep from breaking the 250 kt speed limit below 10,000 ft. Power managment is a full time job with the DC-8.
It hand flys quite nice, but autopilot operation is preferred above 10,000 ft and 250 kts.
Plan well ahead for your descent! Reduce power to flight-idle and start trimming the nose up to bleed the speed down to 250 kts indicated. Drop in 1 notch of flaps, then start your descent. Monitor power and airspeed closely. Maintain 250 kts down to 10,000 ft. If you get into airspeed trouble, use the landing gear to slow down!
Approach (Vref) with full flaps and 155 kts max (153 best). This model will fly a coupled approach very nicely down to CAT 2 minimums, but you must monitor and adjust the power closely! The airplane should hold a nose down attitude during approach. Pull the power levers all the way back to the flight idle gate as you over fly the fence and start trimming the nose level. DO NOT HOLD A NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE. You'll scrape the tail! Hold her level and let her settle in. After all 3 gear are firmly on the ground, reverse thrust and brakes. Expect the landing roll to be about 6000 to 7000 ft. This is not an airplane for small airports!

Numbers out of the book:
Max Taxi Weight: 358,000 lbs
Max Takeoff Weight: 355,000 lbs
Max Landing Weight: 275,000 lbs
Operating Empty Weight: 149,000 lbs
Max Zero Fuel Weight: 261,000 lbs
Max Payload: 111,800 lbs
Max Cargo Volume: 12,830 cubic ft
Usable Fuel: 24,275 gallons

Sharing experience
As you gain experience flying this airplane, please edit the pop-up checklist. And later when you've come up with good numbers and procedures, please send the checklist back and share it with us. We want to post updated checklists at our website for other VA operators. So please check back to the NEA DC-8 page often for updated checklists, AIR files, panel recomendations and such.
Flying this great airliner will be a lot more fun if all the VA operators share their experience.

Legal Stuff
This aircraft is Freeware. It is provided for your personal enjoyment.
Under no circumstances is this aircraft, textures, or derivatives made from this collection of files to be sold for profit in any way, shape or form. You are free to change the paint job, but credit for the aircraft and flight dynamics should be duly noted.
You may upload this unaltered archive to any free site on the internet that does not charge to download it.

The copyright of the original FSFS model belongs to:
Kim Simmelink
ksimmel@execpc.com

The copyright of this AF99 model belongs to:
Dee Waldron
e-mail: 71124.3643@compuserve.com

The copyright of the Flight Dynamics belongs to:
Paul Nichols
e-mail: ps122597@bellatlantic.net