How do you fly the DC3 - Cannot get it flying

cva563 · Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 1:51 pm

I get the engines started take off and it will not stay in the air what am I doing wrong seems to be going great and then a noze dive

Sorry that should be the DC4 Cargo Plane Found all the other things like how to set the radios and get the thing started . I like a four engine prop so would love to get this ting to stay in the air running out of parachutes

Rob Vanderkam · Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 1:57 pm

LOL

We need more info to help. Have you flown FlightSim before? Successfully? In other words, are you having problems because you're online, because it's a new aircraft that you're not familiar with, or just because you've never flown much before?

cheers

cva563 · Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 1:58 pm

This is the FSX plane I have been flying for two years everything from a Baron to the Concord and A380-800 nope never had a problem with an aircraft before
get the flaps set trhottle full get in the air and one of the gagues that has two needles drops a bit and down we go still trying it to see what is the problem seems I read a thread about this someplace but cannot find it

Bill Haystead · Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 2:22 pm

I believe your over temping the engines. Once airborn adjust your prop pitch, mixture and rpm without too much delay. Watch those enging guages. Get the temp, manifold pressure and rpm's in the green. Something that you usually don't have to do on flightsim aircraft.

Cheers Bill

cva563 · Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 2:36 pm

:laugh: Yea your so right Just took it up again kept the throttles back so gagues were just at the yellow mark still in the green didn't try to climb to fast and I got her up and going See there is an auto heading setting and switch and a GPS and a GPS/Nav button but is there an autopilot and someplace to set the Alt to maintain altitude or is this a fly manually craft really slow thing but nice to fly. Thanks for the replys apreeciate the promptness.

Bill Haystead · Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 3:12 pm

I am using the fs9 version. The auto pilot is very basic in the DC4. Simple lateral and pitch control. Thats it beside the landing gear handle. Like the DC3, not very fancy but did ease the pilots workload for long flights. It was more known for leaking hydraulic fluid into the belly of the aircraft, than anything else. I couldn't find a gps switch. If there is one, there shouldn't be.

Cheers Bill

CVA0014 · Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 4:28 pm

Bill Haystead wrote:

.... I couldn't find a gps switch. If there is one, there shouldn't be.

I couldn't even start the thing, I looked around the cockpit and was totally lost.

Maybe it's just a matter of pressing SHIFT-3 or whatever you have mapped as GPS?

I remember seeing something in the plane config files that we could turn features on and off, maybe it wasn't done there, haven't checked.

kgreenwood · Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 1:34 am

how do you fly the DC-3 and/or DC-4...

just ask Bill Haystead (CVA155) -- first you start with about 20 gals of oil...

Aloniw · Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 2:17 am

Watch that autopilot, if it disengages in any kind of steep attitude you will lose the airplane. Keep an eye on the trim, and re-trim before disengaging.

cva563 · Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 3:06 pm

Starting The DC4 just hold the CTRL and E keys till all four engines get running now the gps is a button in FSX on the left side you can pull up all the features by holding the ShIFT key and pressing the numbers 2 through 8 Still don't get the Auto Pilot thing . Oh yea you have to have the radios turned on to change the freq this is a bit trickey for sure really learining curve on this plane but fun none the less ???

CVA0014 · Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 8:02 pm

I love the sound of old engines but I just can't get that plane. I putzed offline with the Grumman last night, didn't even notice 2 hours zoom by. Took me a while to figure out that you're supposed to lower the floats, I thought this was some weirdo model that you had to keep balanced somehow, man that was hard to do.

But once I had all the instruments up and familiar with the plane it's a beauty to fly. My favorite part is landing in the water and lowering the gear just as I come up a beach and coast out of the water and park it on the grass, it's just so cool.

cva563 · Posted: Sun Apr 12, 2009 12:36 am

Hey I figured it out and what a nice craft to fly. Have to be careful taking off not too steep a climb don't over rev the engines keep them on the green. When you reach alt turn on the Heading switch and use the top right knob in the Heading Box to set your heading and then use the top right knob in the Trim box to maintain a level flight you have to frig with it and watch the climb attitude needle but it works great almost like having Auto Pilot , GPS will give you some direction but will not engage or I couldn't get it to . Shift 6 brings up the controls button panel on the left of the cockpit for you. Engine Radio etc Had a great flight . One more note: to start the engines press the overhead button turn the Battery on turn on all four booster pumps and then ther are two start switches start with the left one switch it to the left and then to the right then go to the right starter switch and do the same All four engines will run then turn the booster switches off unless you are about 10000 ft then turn them back on .
Thanks for all the information guys.

Cal Jordan (CVA371) · Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 6:34 am

The GPS is there because most pilots now have a GPS and it will give you a bearing to your waypoint, but you still have to fly it there. Remember above 12000 ft you also need your Oxygen turned on. I will work on a brief handbook for the DC-4 with the manifold pressures for take off and max continuous.

How do you fly the DC3 - Cannot get it flying

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