DC-3 Excellent article - Must read

[Barton]

In the December 2005 issue of AOPA Pilot magazine (my wife is a private pilot and AOPA member) is a excellent article on the DC-3 or DST (DST = Douglas Sleeper Transport) pages 80 to 88. It covers the 70th anniversary of the DC-3 airliner. Includes a little about the history of the plane and how a pilot got his rating on it ; including a accident on the aircraft and how it was easily repaired. Included in the article is a chart with many GREAT stats on the DC-3 including preformance stats (including one engine performance and landing/takeoff requirements). If your local library carries AOPA Pilot check it out, unfortunately AOPA does not publish it online except to AOPA members.

 

Also the article has great photos of the DC-3, including a story of a Canadian airline that still has them in passenger service.

It is likely that the DC-3 will still be flying 30 or more years from now due to 400+ known crashed airframes.

 

I will call the AOPA tomorrow and see if I can get permission to open the article up to the general public on the AOPA website - http://www.aopa.org

 

PS: brand new in 1937 the DC-3 was about $110,000, today a used one can be had for on average $220,000

[Steve Long]

Re: DC-3 Excellent article - Must read

 

Let us know if you succeed, Barton -- it sounds like an interesting read!

[Barton]

Re: DC-3 Excellent article - Must read

 

Let us know if you succeed' date=' Barton -- it sounds like an interesting read![/quote']

I am contacting the lead editor of the online magazine for AOPA for permission. I will also ask if I can copy the stat chart for the airplane. Did you know a DC-3 can take off in as little as 890ft (136 hexes)?

[CSgeekHero]

Re: DC-3 Excellent article - Must read

 

Outstanding. The DC-3 is to this day, one of the best built and safest airplanes to ever cross the skies.

[Barton]

Re: DC-3 Excellent article - Must read

 

AOPA responded that they will NOT make the article free for publication. Too bad. I will post some of the stats on the DC-3 from the article, very interesting numbers.

[Steve Long]

Re: DC-3 Excellent article - Must read

 

Thanx for trying, Barton!

[kjamma4]

Re: DC-3 Excellent article - Must read

 

AOPA responded that they will NOT make the article free for publication. Too bad. I will post some of the stats on the DC-3 from the article' date=' very interesting numbers.[/quote']

 

Note that the AOPA site lists web links for the December 2005 issue:

 

http://www.aopa.org/pilot/links/showlinks.cfm?pubdate=12/1/05

 

http://www.theaviatornetwork.com/ has some good information including a PDF document (http://www.theaviatornetwork.com/pdf/together-we-flew.pdf) which is the "story behind the story."

 

Thanks for the info Barton.

[shadowcat1313]

Re: DC-3 Excellent article - Must read

 

the DC-3 is one of the all time classic aircraft, the Prairie Aviation Museum here in Bloomington has a fully restored DC-3 airliner in Ozark Airlines colors, that does a fair bit of flying

 

http://www.prairieaviationmuseum.org/dc3/

 

I havent had the chance to fly on her yet, but I sure intend to at some point

[Barton]

DC-3 in game stats

 

Douglas Aircraft had built some 185 DC-2’s when the first DC-3 flew [only one DC-1 was built, the prototype]. A two-hour phone call (costing $335.50!!!) in late 1934 from American Airlines president C.R. Smith to Donald Douglas was the first discussion of the new airliner, a sleeper version of the DC-2 that would carry more passengers. The Douglas Sleeper Transport (DST) first flew on December 17, 1935, flown by test pilots Douglas' Carl Cover (pilot) and Frank Collbohm (copilot). That day was the 32nd anniversary of the Wright brother’s first flight. After a six-month test flight program the DST evolved to the DC-3 with only minor changes. The DC-3 was the first airplane to use many modern systems that we take for granted today (hydraulics for raising the gear and lowering the flaps, full-feathering props, pneumatic deice boots, the Janitrol-style heater).

 

Douglas DC-3Price new in 1937: about $110,000

 

Specifications (converted to game terms)

Powerplants Two Pratt & Whitney R-1830-92 radial engines, 14 cylinder, supercharged 1,200 hp at 2,700 rpm or 1,050 hp at 2,550 rpm

Propellers Hamilton Standard Hydromatic, 1.77 hex (3.53 m) diameter

Length 9.82 hexes (19.64 m)

Height 2.59 hexes (5.17 m) (with tail down)

Wingspan 14.48 hexes (28.96 m)

Seats 2+1 (cargo configuration) or 2+21 (passenger configuration)

Empty weight (plus oil and standard equipment) 7,889 kg

Max gross weight 12,227 kg

Max useful load 3,584 kg

Payload w/full fuel 1,328 kg

Fuel capacity, standard 3,107 L (3,031 L usable) 2,241 kg (2,187 kg usable)

Oil system capacity, both engines 223 L

Cargo capacity (max all compartments) 4,327 kg

 

Performance (converted to game terms)

Takeoff distance, ground roll, 1,200 hp engines 135.67 hexes (271.34m)

Takeoff distance, ground roll, 1,050 hp engines 163.11 hexes (326.22 m)

Rate of climb, sea level, 1,200 hp engines 3.58 hexes per second (7.16 m per second)

Cruise speed/range w/45-min reserve at 1524.39 hexes alt. (3,048.78 m) @ 65% power, auto lean mixture 10,953.05 hexes/hr (21,906.10 m/hr) / total 85,387.50 hexes (170,775 m) (354.56 L per hour)

Cruise speed/endurance w/45-min rsv (total fuel consumption) @ max endurance speed, auto lean mixture 6,556 hexes/hr (13,112.80 m/hr) for 16 hr (185.22 L per hour)

Service ceiling (remember the DC-3 is NOT pressurized) 4,039.63 hexes (8,079.27 m)

Ceiling on a single engine 1,905.49 hexes (3,810.98 m)

Landing distance over a 7.62 hex (15.24 m) obstacle 320.12 hexes (640.24 m)

Landing distance, with ground roll 121.95 m (243.90 m)

 

Airspeeds (converted to game terms)

Best rate of climb speed 23.40 hexes/sec (49.79 m/sec)

Min controllable speed on a single engine 19.54 hexes/sec (39.08 m/sec)

Recommended max maneuvering speed 30.85 hexes/sec (61.71 m/sec)

Max speed with landing gear down 38.05 hexes/sec (76.11 m/sec)

Max Cruising speed 40.62 hexes/sec (81.25 m/sec)

Max Speed to never go past 48.85 hexes/sec (97.70 m/sec)

Takeoff speed 21.60 hexes/sec (43.20 m/sec)

Stall Speed 17.48 hexes/sec (34.97 m/sec)

 

Note: Performance figures are based on daytime, standard atmospheric pressure, sea level, and gross weight unless otherwise noted. Above figures rounded to two decimal places.

[Steve Long]

Re: DC-3 Excellent article - Must read

 

Good work, Barton! Take 2 XP out of petty cash.

[LoresLost]

Re: DC-3 Excellent article - Must read

 

The DC-3 was also called C-47 by the US Air Force and the fully weaponized verison was the AC-47 "Spooky" also called "Puff the Magic Dragon", 'cause when it went "PUFF" all your problems went away...

 

Information on "Puff"

http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/research/attack/a6/a6-23.htm

Photos of Puff on the ground and at work

[shadowcat1313]

Re: DC-3 Excellent article - Must read

 

Megatraveller had a STOL transport like a higher tech C-130, called the "Anchorage" and I decided to play with some mixed tech upgrades to build a gunship version

 

it mounted 4 VRF Gauss Guns and 2 Auto RAM grenade Launchers