Without a doubt the DC-3 would have qualified for "Airplane of the Century" on one of those lists of key things about the 20th century that were so popular about a month ago. Besides its long and enviable worldwide service record as an airline transport the DC-3 has appeared in many different military versions. These designations include the C-47, R4D, and C-117 in U.S. military forces to name but a few. In fact, the number of different roles and missions that the DC-3 has served in over the years probably exceeds the record of any other single aircraft model. Its rugged design and dependable performance have established a reputation as a workhorse transport that "takes a licking and keeps on ticking." With that kind of a history and reputation the question might fairly be asked what FS airplane and panel could do justice to such a legend? Well—I think a good answer to that would be the FS98/FS2000 airplane and panel combination by Bill Rambow, Roy Chaffin, and Jan Visser. Now I'd be the first to admit that there are a number of pretty good – no – make that very good – MSFS DC-3 aircraft and panels out there, but on balance this combo exceeds by a wide margin any that I've run into. The attention to detail and authenticity of both aircraft and panel are simply breathtaking! First some general visual characteristics. The panel by Bill Rambow and Roy Chaffin is one of the "photo realistic" kinds. But this is photo realism like you haven't seen before. Not your typical FS panel that uses a photo background bitmap of a glare shield and panel with FS gauges positioned on top of it. No sir. The individual gauges are photo real. That's because panel designer Bill Rambow painstakingly took individual digital photos of each gauge from the real airplane to get the look exactly right. Bill's partner Roy Chaffin then programmed the gauges to function exactly like their real counterparts and voila! —photo real that is truly photo real! This takes FS photo real panel design to a whole new level.
Not to be outdone—the airplane by Jan Visser (from an original design by John Kelley)—is equally detailed featuring photo derived textures, full moving parts, transparent navigator's astrodome, 100% authentic antennas (including a rare loop RDF ring antenna), 3D engine exhaust stacks, and wheel chocks and control surface locks with "Remove Before Flight" red ribbon streamers when the engines are shut down. Breathtaking indeed.
Where did all this authenticity come from you might ask? Both the FS panel and airplane are faithful reproductions of the U.S. Navy R4D-6 in the inventory of the Mid Atlantic Air Museum (MAAM) in Reading, Pennsylvania. The airplane, which is fully restored and maintained in flying condition, carried U.S. Navy Bureau Number 50819, and was used during World War II as a VIP and Admiral's transport assigned to the Naval Air Transport Service (NATS). After World War II the airplane served in various other roles in the Navy until 1959 and then , in typical DC-3 fashion, went on to perform missions for the FAA and U.S. Department of Agriculture before being acquired by MAAM in 1980 and restored to its original World War II NATs configuration.
Installation and Documentation
Both aircraft and panel come in FS98 and FS2000 flavors – although – the very latest update to Jan Visser's airplane is for FS2000 only. Since the initial release about a year ago both the panel and airplane have undergone a number of revisions and improvements. 99% of these updates have recently been consolidated into two zip files containing the whole package between them. These files, one of about 5 MB with the aircraft and panel, and the other of about 7 MB with the extensive
documentation, can be downloaded from the Avsim library, and several other major flight sim sites. You need both to get the most out of this package. The 1% that's missing is Jan's very latest update to the aircraft which is for FS2000 only. That is a separate 495 kb file download – also available here in the Avsim library. The good news is that there's been a process of "continuous improvement" since the initial release. The bad news is if you're new to this panel and aircraft
the proliferation of original and update files can be confusing. We'll try and sort it out for you.
Installation is pretty much the standard FS panel install. Panel cfg, bitmap files and checklists to the panel subdirectory of the airplane. Gauges to the main FS gauges directory. Sound files to the main FS sound directory and you're good to go. The panel is designed for and looks best in 1024x768 resolution but will work in 800x600.
One thing that should be mentioned here is that many users have reported an major increase in FS2000 framerates over the stock panels when using this panel. I did observe an increase on my test system and enough people have reported this to make me a believer that it works on lots of different systems—so if you're experiencing framerate problems in FS2000 this just might be the panel for you quite apart from its outstanding realism features.
The documentation for the panel and aircraft is voluminous and includes a scanned copy of a complete 1944 vintage U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) Flight Manual for the C-47. You can't get any more real than that!
Panel Features Goodness gracious great balls of fire! There are so many features to this panel it's hard to know where to begin. I'm going to mention some of the highlights but to describe everything would duplicate the manual(s) so we won't do that – after all – we want to get you in the air! Here's some stuff that sets this panel apart. Probably the #1 feature is the total authenticity of the panel layout. When you're in front of this panel you're in the real airplane for all practical purposes. The gauges look and work exactly like the ones on the real airplane. Not approximately – exactly! Much has been made of the panels in FLY! and how much more real than MSFS panels they are. This is one FS panel which gives FLY! a run for its money and then some. The #2 super cool feature is the ability to select either the Captain's or First Officer's panel "on the fly" without first having to exit and reselect the aircraft. A hot button click will do it. When you first start up the panel you get a screen that lets you make your choice for startup (see the opening screenshot in this review) after that it's easy to switch back and forth in the air—something you'll need to do since some functions are only on one side or the other of the panel. Although a switching capability has begun to creep into some recent FS panel releases, to the best of my knowledge Bill and Roy were the first to perfect this technique and they deserve credit for a major advance in FS panel capability. As far as I know the "hot button" capability remains unique to this panel. In a panel full of unique gauges one stands out that deserves special mention. That is the authentic Sperry Mark III Autopilot (designed by Arne Bartels) which provides an authentic 1940's avionics flavor and requires some study to get the hang of—no fancy pushbutton gizmos in those days! Like all of the other gauges it works just like the real thing. The engine gauges should also be recognized and include authentic ignition and magneto switches, working feather buttons, working cowl flaps, carb heat, mixture and fuel tank selector gauges that enable you (make that require you) to manage your powerplants exactly like the real thing. Pretty impressive! Finally, on the Captain's side, there is a removable photo real yoke that you can toggle on and off that includes the autopilot master switch—just like on the real airplane. Keep in mind that these are only a few of the standout gauge features in this panel – the creme de le creme if you will – but I hope they give you a flavor for the realism and accuracy of this panel. The Aircraft What's a great panel without a great aircraft to go with it? In this case the perfect companion aircraft is Jan Visser's model of U.S. Navy R4D-6 Bureau Number 50819. Working from an original design by John Kelley, Jan has produced a perfect visual reproduction of this pristine aircraft in the MAAM collection. The aircraft is rendered in the World War II bare metal scheme with authentic NATs markings including a detailed NATS emblem on the side and a Rear Admiral's two star flag plate next to the cockpit window indicating its status as a VIP transport. The attention to detail on this aircraft is just superb! It includes full moving parts, a transparent navigator's astrodome, authentic radio and nav antennas including a steerable RDF ring antenna, passenger door with steps and chocks and control surface locks which show up when the engines are shut down. In short, a visual model accurate in every detail. One unique thing I had no idea of despite many years in real naval aviation is that the landing gear retraction and extension on the R4D-6 is "unsynchronized." In other words the right and left main gear retract and extend independently - not necessarily at the same time. This is faithfully reproduced in the visual model and is amazing to watch if you're used to the nice simultaneous gear action of modern airplanes. The flight model is no less accurate. The airplane can be flown to the "book numbers" using accurate engine power settings. I found it to be extremely stable to fly with a real aircraft "feel" to it. One thing to keep in mind is if you're used to moving at jet speeds be prepared to adjust to a slower pace in the R4D-6. Rotation is at 85 KIAS and climb speed is 105 KIAS. "Stately' is the word that comes to mind – as befits a VIP transport! Ground handling is as good as can be had with an FS taildragger but this airplane retains the typical difficulty of FS DC3s in turning through a crosswind when taxiing. Reproductions of the actual placards on the real aircraft provide a convenient on the panel reference for power settings and speeds. A final aircraft note to keep in mind—the panel is designed to work with the flight model in Jan's aircraft. If you use this panel with another DC3 you will need to edit certain aspects of the .air file to reproduce the same results. Complete instructions for doing this are contained in the manuals. One very good aircraft that this panel also goes well with is the MATS SC-47 by the Flightsim Developers Group. [Editor's Note: Please see the companion Douglas C-47 MATS Aircraft Review.] Conclusions In my book this is right at the top of the list of standout panels and aircraft for MSFS – pay or free. You simply cannot go wrong from any standpoint in using this panel and aircraft! Bill, Roy and Jan have achieved virtually unparalleled levels of accuracy and realism in the MSFS environment – my hat is off to them! So what to do next? Sprint – don't run – to the Avsim Library and download this unbeatable combo. I mentioned earlier the numerous files of updated versions that have been issued. Here's what you need for the basic aircraft and panel. First download the aircraft and panel here. Then get the User Manuals here. Reminder: don't try this without the manuals! OK, for FS2000 only, you can get the latest update to Jan's R4D here. Also, if you want to try out the Flight Sim Developer's SC-47 you can get the base aircraft files C47fsdv2.zip and the update C47fsdup.zip here. But wait – there's more! Even now the team is working on a complete all new replacement package for the panel and aircraft with a new sound package. Version 4 I believe. No release date is published yet but you can keep up with the latest developments at Avsim Partner Roy Chaffin's Site. It's hard to imagine "improvements" to this package but if anyone could do it this team can. The FS future looks bright indeed for the venerable DC-3! If you'd like to know more about the real NATS airplane and support the efforts of the Mid Atlantic Air Museum in keeping this flying legend in the air, visit the Mid Atlantic Air Museum. Credits In addition to the principal authors of this package many people's efforts are credited by Bill, Roy and Jan with playing a role in the development of this outstanding product. I'm going to list them as published in the documentation and I'm sure you'll recognize many famous names in the FS world. If I have left anyone who should be credited out please understand that it is an entirely inadvertent and unintended omission: Chuck Dome- Gauge programming
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