Hi
Well, over weekends she's most of the time receiving basic maintenance, so
there's endless time in which I can get some very nice pics, info etc.
Don't quote me on the following, but I heard that when they designed the
DC-3, the engineers said there's no chance in hell that this thing will fly,
so some stubborn-headed bloke forced the guys to build it, and look at what
a success it turned out.
I'll be getting a digital camera I can use soon, and then I'll start taking
the pictures.
As for the info, the Douglas DC-3 that the South African Airforce and South
African Airways used has the Pratt & Whitney R-1830 radials, kicking out
1200hp (882 kW) each. I can most probably get the info and tables on the
engine.
And luckily (I know I shouldn't brag) we've got some of the best pilots
flying our Dak and Skymaster. The other day they had an asymmetrical flap
extension. Basically, the starboard flaps came down to full flap, and the
port flap stayed where it was. You can imagine what that does to the
handling of the aircraft. They brought her back and made a safe landing
(yeah, the safe, but definitely not smooth.).
I'm new in the Flightgear scene, and I'm still only figuring out the basics.
But as for the info, I'm an old hand at anything with pistons and wings.
That's why I'd like to do a North American T-6 Harvard (or Texan, as the
Americans call it.). Still trying to figure out what the CVS packages are
and how to update it, but hopefully I'll get there soon
Regards
Danie Heath
{There are only 3 rules to making a smooth landing. Unfortunately, no-one
knows what they are.}
Danie Heath writes:
> I work part-time at the South African Air Force Museum, and, seeing
> as we operate two DC-3's, I can get you any information you need.
> Tell me what you need, and I can get it.
Thank you again for the offer. Here's my own wish list:
1. Aerodynamic coefficients
You probably won't be able to find these anywhere, unless your
airforce once did wind-tunnel tests on a DC-3/Dakota, but these are
what JSBSim needs to model a DC-3 correctly. There will be a lot of
numbers or tables with headings like CLo, CLa, CDo, etc. (or maybe
CX*). I saw a story that someone once requested this data from
Douglas, and an old engineer at Douglas replied that the DC-3 was
invented before aerodynamic coefficients were (I doubt it, but it
makes a good story all the same).
2. Raw flight data
It is also possible that someone has collected in-flight data from a
Dakota, and we might be able to use that to calculate some of the
coefficients: for example, there might be tables of the engine power
required to maintain altitude at different angles of attack, or the
climb or descent rate at different power settings and altitudes, etc.
3. The DC-3 Pilot Operating Handbook
In an ideal world, a PDF of the whole POH would be very useful to
everyone working on the DC-3, but in reality, copies of the power
tables alone would make a big difference to our modelling efforts.
4. Wright Cyclone Engine Data
Any engine performance or maintenance data for the Wright Cyclone (or
whatever the later DC-3 engine was) would of course be very helpful.
5. Interior and exterior 3-views
I have some low-res 3-views of the DC-3, but any more detailed
drawings would be helpful, especially for the 3-D model. Detailed
drawings of the cockpit and control panel would be great for the panel
designers.
6. Pictures
Lots of digital pictures of details, especially the cockpit interior,
would be very nice.
7. Any unexpected surprises
You'll probably find things we didn't even think of; please let us
know.
In addition to all of the dry archival work, you are more than welcome
to load my DC-3 3-D model into Blender or another modeller and fix it
up, especially if you have access to any real DC-3s/Dakotas for
comparison -- let me know if you'd like the latest version.
Thank you again,
David
--
David Megginson
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