Do you like DC3s?

[wrxpilot]

If you do, here's a great video of one:
http://www.flightlevel350.com/public_viewer.php?cat=142&pic=2363

 

[EMBATP]

nice

real classy airplane...

 

[wrxpilot]

real classy airplane...

That they are... Great sound too.

 

[TurboS7]

1830-94-92-75 all the Pratts sound nice on a three.

 

[9GClub]

Good ol' split flaps...... and some pretty flimsy-looking undercarriage.....

I hear they fly nice though.

 

[Kream926]

what about beech 18's? anyone like those?

 

[TurboS7]

R-985's are great. The best noise makers Grumman Goose fully loaded with Hartzell props trying to get on the step early in the morning.

 

[Traumahawk]

Kinda forgot to flare on that first go eh??


Great plane though....

 

[DC3Flyer]

Yep

I was fortunate enough to fly both a DC3 and a BE18, gotta love the sound of a radial engine!!!

 

[TurboS7]

I have about 1000 hours in the BE-18, flew them with both the Ham Stans and Hartzels. The Hartzels were nice hauling the heavy loads out of MDW in the summer but we it came to just cruisin' I like that Ham Stans.

 

[pilotyip]

Touching history.

If you take the floor out of a DC-9 and then take the floor out of a DC-3, it is hard to tell which airplane you are looking at. They are both Douglas built cable cars, meaning everything is cable controlled. Flying the 3 is really touching roots of aviation; you the pilots make everything happen. Raising the gear is a five step operation, starting engines is a “I hope its starts today and I don’t screw it up” operation, and the rudders are a primary flight control. Only one thing on the 3 is automated, and that is the Hyd pressure regulation, it automatically kicks down after reaching it peak. In the DC-9, you have to manually select low Hyd pressure. Nothing is greater than flying cross country at 3,000' AGL on clear VFR day. Of course I am lucky, I fly it for a museum and do not have to fly in the winter, night hard IFR or other bad things, but daytime flying it is all pleasure.

 

[bafanguy]

yip,


Taxiing it was a bit of a challenge for new guys. As one old captain told a classmate of mine, "You taxi like I &#$@ when I'm drunk." They knew better than to let me taxi very much.

 

[TurboS7]

I used to fly the DC-3 for Mission Aviation Fellowship. N92578. Ironically it used to be owned by JAARS(Jungle Aviation and Radio Service) HP-1020. When I was a kid I used to go the the "DC-3 strip" , an 1800 foot strip with no obstacles, to help load and unload it when we came through from Bolivia. I flew the same airplane back and fourth to Haiti from FXE. When Hurricane Gilbert came through I got to fly it back and fourth from Jamica doing relief work. I did all the training for my type but the aircraft was sold 2 weeks before I was to take my type ride. Though I have time in the 3 I never did get the type rating. se la vi.

 

[Donsa320]

If you take the floor out of a DC-9 and then take the floor out of a DC-3, it is hard to tell which airplane you are looking at. They are both Douglas built cable cars, meaning everything is cable controlled. Flying the 3 is really touching roots of aviation; you the pilots make everything happen. Raising the gear is a five step operation, starting engines is a “I hope its starts today and I don’t screw it up” operation, and the rudders are a primary flight control. Only one thing on the 3 is automated, and that is the Hyd pressure regulation, it automatically kicks down after reaching it peak. In the DC-9, you have to manually select low Hyd pressure. Nothing is greater than flying cross country at 3,000' AGL on clear VFR day. Of course I am lucky, I fly it for a museum and do not have to fly in the winter, night hard IFR or other bad things, but daytime flying it is all pleasure.

Our Chief Pilot on North Central used to say that a new DC-3 Captain will collect more ice during his first winter on the line than all the rest of his winters combined. <bg>

~DC

 

[TurboS7]

What was the reason for that????

 

[Donsa320]

What was the reason for that????

If that was for me....simply guys would learn quickly how to avoid ice and get out of it if you did not. If you paid attention during your co-pilot years the learning curve was steep!

~DC

 

[TurboS7]

I remember North Central the DC-3's and Convairs. It is amazing how much aviation has changed in the last 25 years. In a jet the only ice that really is a factor is the ice that is on a runway. If you don't like how much ice you have just go faster. Coming from a piston background I will never forget a jet jock telling me that, I found that hard to comprehend. Sounds like you have had a very rich and full life in aviation. Everything is so policitical and complicated now it seems hard to keep the head above water sometimes.

 

[Donsa320]

I remember North Central the DC-3's and Convairs. It is amazing how much aviation has changed in the last 25 years. In a jet the only ice that really is a factor is the ice that is on a runway. If you don't like how much ice you have just go faster. Coming from a piston background I will never forget a jet jock telling me that, I found that hard to comprehend. Sounds like you have had a very rich and full life in aviation. Everything is so policitical and complicated now it seems hard to keep the head above water sometimes.

Yep, I remember on my DC-9 type ride I got a wing anti-ice failure on a simulated ORD to MKE flight in icing. I accelerated to 350 KIAS and got the nice 15 C heat rise and kept the speed up to the last. The DE liked that.

~DC

 

[TurboS7]

Now days they will tell you that is unsafe, back for more training.

 

[DC3Flyer]

Ice

When I was flying the 3 I was also flying Lear 25's and my concerns about ice were completely opposite. In the 3 you were concerned about ice enroute. It would carry a ton as long as both engines kept running! In the Lear you were concerned about it on the runways.

I have to agree that it was some of the most fun I've had in an airplane. When I was flying it I would look at a Gulfstream and think boy that would be a blast to fly. Now that I have, I look at the DC3 and think, boy that would be a blast to fly again. Funny how that works isn't it!!