Hey folks,

I have the LES DC-3 and I just love this old girl, however my skills are really lacking, I can get her off the ground with no problem but I am really struggling with the important part..... getting her back on the ground. Can anyone point me in the direction where I could get some tips on approach and landing configs etc. 

 

any help would be greatly appreciated, 

 

 

Thanks,

 

Scot

I just double-checked the manual and surprisingly there's nothing on approaches and landings!

 

Tail-draggers can be tough and there's a reason that real-world pilots need a special endorsement to be able to fly them (at least in the US). As I'm sure you know, all the same principles apply as with tricycle-geared aircraft: power controls the rate of descent and pitch controls speed, but the tricky bit is sticking the landing (ideally you want all three wheels to hit the tarmac at the same time, which means a fairly nose-high attitude). I guess what it comes down to is practice and you might find you have an easier time practicing with a smaller aircraft. Khamsin's DHC-1 Chipmunk is my favorite trainer for tail-draggers, but the freeware Stampe SV4C is also a good one. I hope this helps, but it's hard to know exactly what to suggest unless you're a little more specific.

I don't fly X-Plane but here's some RW power settings:

Aircraft Power Settings Card

DC-3 

Take-off 

2700 RPM 

48 in.

Climb 

2350 RPM

36 in.

Cruise 

2050 RPM

30 in.

Descend 

2000 RPM

20 in.

 

I fly the C-47V2 in FSX and she's pretty easy to land.  Setup a 500fpm descent and use pitch for airspeed and power for descent rate.  About 110-120 Kias on long final and 90 to 100 Kias over the fence.  Reduce power over the numbers, ease off on the descent rate, hold her level until airspeed decays and she should land with full flaps at about 70 Kias.

 

Slim

I appreciate the reply's very much, I find she either drops out of the sky or bounces hard down the runway, it's hard to get it just right. I have been watching some u-tube video's and from what I have seen most landings are done on the front wheels and then she settles down to the tail wheel. She just seems to float off the runway during take off but landing .... not so much  ....

Those taildraggers giving you a bit of grief, huh?

Those taildraggers giving you a bit of grief, huh?

well lets just say if it wasn't a sim world I fly in there would be 26 passangers who on a regular basis would find religion and request extra sick bags :blink:  :blink:  :blink:  :wacko:

Actually, the DC3 was meant to be wheel landed only...on the main gear.  Pulling the nose up to a 3 point blocks airflow over the tail.

500 fpm / about 90 kts.  easy does it. :blink:

Actually, the DC3 was meant to be wheel landed only...on the main gear.  Pulling the nose up to a 3 point blocks airflow over the tail.

500 fpm / about 90 kts.  easy does it. :blink:

Thanks for the reply Jerry,  when looking around I seemed to have noticed that too by watching various u-tube vids etc. What about flap config?

 

thanks again, ......off to practice "east does it"   B)  

Flaps:  normally zero for takeoff and full for landing.  A strong x-wind may require less on landing.

Jerry

...and do NOT apply brakes on touchdown.  Otherwise you'll be kissing the tarmac pretty swiftly.

I made a few liveries for this bird, mostly of older ones, long gone by now. I made a video showcasing the Cruzeiro DC-3. I had just overflown the Eastern Cordillera range and landed somewhere (can't remember where) in the Columbian jungle. If you care to watch it to the end, you'll see how the DC-3 lands on the main gear, keeping the tail off the ground for as long as you can and using rudder authority to steer down the runway.

 

Anyways, here's the video;

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwUMeDxg9Zw

 

Actually, the DC3 was meant to be wheel landed only...on the main gear.  Pulling the nose up to a 3 point blocks airflow over the tail.

[...]

Huh, looks like I've been doing it wrong! Good to know; thanks for the info!

...and do NOT apply brakes on touchdown.  Otherwise you'll be kissing the tarmac pretty swiftly.

oh I figured this one out on my own .... 26 people and cargo all in the cockpit starring down at dotted lines on the tarmac....  :blush:  :blush:  :blush:  :blush:  :blush: