JFC001612

www.aeroplaneheaven.com

www.justflight.com
2 Stonehill, Stukeley Meadows, Huntingdon, PE29 6ED, United Kingdom PILOT’S NOTES
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 DC-6B
LEGENDS OF FLIGHT

Pilot’s Notes
Expansion for Flight Simulator X

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION........................................................................ 2
INSTALLATION.......................................................................... 4
AIRCRAFT IN THIS SIMULATION............................................ 7
GETTING TO KNOW THE DC-6B........................................... 11
PANEL GUIDE.......................................................................... 18
Overhead panels.............................................................. 28
Main panels....................................................................... 35
Pedestal............................................................................ 40
CONTROLS AND SYSTEMS................................................... 46
Flying controls.................................................................. 46
Fuel.................................................................................... 49
Engine and propeller management................................ 51
Electrical equipment........................................................ 54
Radios and navigation..................................................... 55
FLYING THE DC-6B................................................................. 56
OPERATING THE DC-6B SYSTEMS...................................... 60
CREDITS.................................................................................. 63
COPYRIGHT............................................................................ 64
SOFTWARE PIRACY............................................................... 64

1
INTRODUCTION
The Douglas Aircraft Company was one of the most prolific producers of fast and
comfortable passenger/freight aircraft in the immediate post-war period. Douglas had
been a pioneer in developing purpose-built aircraft for mail and freight duties going back
to the early 1920s, and the company used the expertise gained in this field to design large,
fast, comfortable aeroplanes with large cargo capacities.
The success of the company’s phenomenal DC-3/C-47 heralded the introduction
of several bigger four-engined designs, built to take on the likes of the Lockheed
Constellation on long and short haul routes.
The DC-4 and earlier DC-6a were successful Douglas products, but not before a lesser-
known design also called the DC-4 had failed to impress with its overly sophisticated
specifications (only one of the type was built.) Early DC-4s were requisitioned for the
military as transports.
After WWII a further 79 DC-4s were built for various commercial airline operators but by
now two of the largest, TWA and Pan American, had already switched their support to the
Lockheed Constellation programme.
Douglas returned to the drawing board and produced the DC-6. Although similar in
appearance to the DC-4, the new airframe was substantially different. Longer, bigger and
sharper, the new aircraft boasted many ‘firsts’, among them the first fully pressurised
air-conditioned cabins for superior passenger comfort. Electrically operated propeller
de-icing and fog- and frost-free passenger windows were other innovations.
Practical introductions included fully pre-packed cargo containers with on-board
‘monorail’ handling equipment; this had never been seen before in a commercial
aircraft and significantly reduced turn-around times. It was clear that Douglas had done
its homework and the new DC-6 was looking like a very tempting prospect for the
major airlines.
Power for the new machine was delivered by four Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double
Wasp radials, initially of 2,100hp and improving to 2,500hp by the time the DC-6B
was introduced. This venerable power plant had seen service in the war years with the
P-47 Thunderbolt and F4U Corsair fighters among others and this wartime service had
produced a high degree of reliability and servicing efficiency.
The power plant could be used in any of the four engine positions and was built as an
‘egg’ complete with ancillary equipment already fitted to the framework and ready to bolt
on to the engine mounts. This allowed extremely rapid servicing turn-around times and
promised minimum down time for busy airline schedules.
Design care extended to passenger safety thanks to the ‘wet’ wings; all fuel was stored
in collapsible fuel cells inside the wings, which kept the flammable fuel well outside the
passenger fuselage areas.
Each engine was fed by its own individual fuel system and the DC-6 was one of the first
aircraft to be fitted with fuel-dumping equipment, which was faired into the wing nacelles
and available in case of emergency.
The DC-6 wings were fitted with slotted flaps for greater aerodynamic efficiency, with an
inner flap extending out over the main flap to cover the air gap left by flap extension.
This system had been fully tested in the Douglas Invader fighter/bomber.
Douglas introduced the DC-6B to combat Lockheed’s market success with the

2
Constellation. In doing so it created what many experts believe to be one of the finest
piston-engined transport aircraft ever produced. A stretched fuselage could accommodate
up to 102 passengers and the DC-6B was also available in intercontinental Sleeper versions
with sleeping berths. These airframes are characterised by small slit windows running down
the upper fuselage on each side. Cargo versions had large side-opening cargo doors in the
fuselage which could be opened wide to accommodate very large cargo items.
Take-off weight was increased to 100,000 lbs and take-off power to 10,000 hp. This meant
one-stop transatlantic runs with a full passenger load.
Although TWA stayed away, Pan Am returned to the fold to join a host of US carriers using
the DC-6B. Pan American used the DC-6B to introduce the first transatlantic tourist class
flights and it was not long before many European airlines placed orders. Swissair led the
charge and had DC-6Bs flying its routes by 1951.
288 DC-6Bs were built before production ceased in 1958.
The Military also flew DC-6s, known as Skymasters (passenger transports) and Liftmasters
(cargo transports) and also by military designations such as C-118.
One DC-6 named Independence was built as a personal transport for President Truman.
Many aircraft went on to have illustrious careers with several different owners and were
often converted to other duties such as economical cargo haulage, and many are still
flying today in both private and commercial hands. Like its smaller brother, the DC-3,
the DC-6B is a very difficult aeroplane to replace!

Aircraft specifications
Length 105 ft 7in
Height 28 ft 8 in
Wingspan 117 ft 6 in
Wing area 1,463 sq ft
Power plants Pratt & Whitney R-2800 CB-16 (2,400 BHP on take-off)
or Pratt & Whitney R-2800 CB-17 (2,500 BHP on take-off)
Propellers Hamilton Standard Hydromatic, 13 ft 6 in diameter, constant
speed with electric de-icing
Fuel 5,512 US gallons (33,072 lbs)
Empty weight 63,200 lbs
Maximum gross weight 107,000 lbs
Maximum payload 24,565 lbs
Maximum cruising speed 274 KIAS (subject to loads and conditions), average 240 KIAS
Maximum dive speed 300 KIAS
Stalling speed (flaps) 83 KIAS
Maximum range 3,500 NM
Service ceiling 25,000 ft

3
INSTALLATION
Installing the DVD-ROM software
1. Close all open programs and applications prior to installation. Place the DVD-ROM in
your DVD drive.
2. If your computer has ‘Autorun’ enabled, the installation program will start. If not,
select ‘Start’ on the Windows taskbar, click on ‘Run…’ and type D:\start.exe in the
‘Open’ window (where ‘D’ is the drive letter of your DVD-ROM drive), then press ‘OK’.
3. The first screen to appear will ask you to ‘Install in FSX’. Follow the on-screen
instructions.
4. If the installer is unable to find a valid entry for the selected simulator a warning
dialogue will appear telling you to browse manually to the folder where you have
installed Flight Simulator X.
5. The default path for Flight Simulator X is C:\program files\Microsoft Games\Microsoft
Flight Simulator X. This path will be correct unless you specified another location
when you installed Flight Simulator.
Once the installation is complete you will see a confirmation window. Click the ‘Finish’
button to exit the install program and return to Windows. The installation is complete.

DVD-ROM installation FAQs

After inserting the disc I get told to insert the correct disc even though I have
already inserted it, or an error appears warning that CD/DVD emulation software
has been detected.
This problem occurs because the SafeDisc protection software on the disc is failing to
validate. The most common reasons for this are:
You have anti-virus software or a firewall active on your PC that is interfering with the
installation. Please disable all programs running in the background of Windows and try
installing again.
Important: If you have a nVidia nForce 2 motherboard please ensure that you visit nvidia.
com and install the latest driver as older versions are known to have compatibility problems
with SafeDisc.
The disc may have been damaged and become unreadable. Please check for any damage
to the disc and give the readable surface a clean.
The drive that you are using to load the software may be incompatible with SafeDisc.
Please visit the manufacturer’s website to download any updated drivers/firmware that
may be available or alternatively try installing using an alternative drive (if you’ve got one).
If you have any Virtual Drive or Emulation software on your PC then this can prevent the
SafeDisc protection software from validating. In order to install the software you must
disable the emulator from trying to circumvent SafeDisc. Typical emulation software
includes Daemon Tools, Clone CD and Alcohol 120%.

4
If Alcohol 120% is on the machine:
Start Alcohol 120% and go to the Emulation Options.
Select ‘Emulation’ from the options tree. Uncheck the ‘Ignore Media Types’ box to turn off
the media type emulation.
Select ‘Extra Emulation’ from the options tree. Uncheck the ‘BAD Sectors Emulation’ to
turn off this type of emulation, exit Alcohol 120% and restart the installation.

If CloneCD is on the machine:

Look on your taskbar at the bottom right of your screen (next to the clock). Locate the
CloneCD tray icon, which can be a picture of two CD-ROMs or of a sheep’s head. Right-
click on the icon and make sure ‘Hide CD-R media’ is unticked. Restart the installation.

If Daemon Tools is on the machine:

Right-click on the Daemon Tools icon in the taskbar. Select the Emulation tab and
deselect SafeDisc.
If you continue to have problems after trying the above solutions please contact the
Support team via the Support page at justflight.com.

When trying to install this title I receive an error message that mentions either -6001
or -5001. How do I fix this?
This error is caused by the InstallShield system leaving some files behind during a previous
installation of some other software. Please download and run the ISClear tool (obtainable
from the Support page at justflight.com). This should solve the problem and you will then
be able to install correctly.

Installing the Download software

You’ve already purchased the Download and have got this far by following the instructions
on our website. However, here are some FAQs that might be helpful.

How do I install and unlock the software once I have paid for it?
Full instructions will appear on screen once you have bought a download add-on.
These will also be sent to you in an email for future reference.

How will I know the product has unlocked correctly?

A message will appear on screen telling you that the unlocking process has been
completed (and how to contact us in the unlikely event that you experience any problems).
Please read all instructions and emails carefully.

5
What happens if I change my PC or need to reinstall the software?
If you change your computer system or your licence files are ‘broken’ (perhaps due to
a re-installation of Windows or a hard drive malfunction) you will need to unlock the
software again.
Once you have unlocked the product you can install it as often as you like on the same
computer system.

Accessing the aircraft

Go to FREE FLIGHT, look at the CURRENT AIRCRAFT box and press the CHANGE button.
The Aircraft Manufacturer is Douglas. The Publisher is Just Flight Ltd and the aircraft type
is ‘Prop liner’.
Ensure you tick the ‘Show all variations’ tick box at the bottom of the page.

Uninstalling
To uninstall this software from your PC:
• Go to the Windows Start menu and select ‘Control Panel` (if you are in Windows
Classic view, Control Panel will be found under ‘Settings’).
• Double-click on the item ‘Add or Remove Programs’ (Windows XP) or ‘Programs and
Features’ (Windows Vista or 7).
• Select the program you want to uninstall from the list provided and click the
‘Uninstall’ option.
Uninstalling or deleting this software in any other way may cause problems when using
this program in the future or with your Windows set-up.

Website Updates
Please check the News and Support pages on our website at justflight.com for news and
updates for this and all our other products.

Technical Support
To obtain technical support (in English) please visit the Support pages at justflight.com.
As a Just Flight customer you can obtain free technical support for any Just Flight or
Just Trains product.
If you don’t have Internet access, please write to us at Just Flight Technical Support,
2 Stonehill, Stukeley Meadows, Huntingdon, PE29 6ED, UK.

Regular News
To get the latest news about Just Flight products, sign up for our newsletter at justflight.
com/subscribe.asp.

6
AIRCRAFT IN THIS SIMULATION
Over 33 major international and domestic airlines purchased the DC-6B new. Since then
the type has been used by countless operators worldwide.
We have attempted to show some of this variety in the selection of liveries supplied
with this simulation. A Pro standard paint kit is supplied for those who wish to add their
own liveries.
The DC-6B was available in many versions and airlines could specify the fit-out and layout
of the airframes – a major selling point of the design. As a consequence of this versatility
you will find DC-6Bs finished as day planes, cargo haulers, intercontinental airliners with
sleeping berths, aircraft with and without radar, and many more permutations.

Domestic Day-plane (five window) – non-radar – no spinners

United Air Lines – c. 1957

American Airlines – c. 1956

7
Domestic Day-plane (five window) – radar – spinners

Sterling – c. 1968

Northwest – c. 1956

Intercontinental (four window) – radar – no spinners

Balair – c. 1966

8
JAL – c. 1960

Sabena – c. 1968

Intercontinental (four window) – radar – spinners

Red Bull – c. 2011

9
Pan Am – c. 1961

British Eagle – c. 2011

10
GETTING TO KNOW THE DC-6B
We always recommend that you begin your tour of the aeroplane with everything in a ‘cold
and dark’ state, i.e. all switches, controls, electrical supplies, fuel and so on set to Off.
This DC-6B simulation comes with an array of ‘security’ equipment such as engine covers,
chocks and pre-flight flags.

These can be toggled on and off from the virtual cockpit by using the special switch which
doubles as a fire control lever on the instrument panel shroud. You’ll find it here:

11
Boarding stairs and a service vehicle are also available. These can be toggled on and off
with another switch, located here:

Open the doors and press Shift/E+4 to bring the flight attendant out onto the top steps of
the passenger stairs.

Let’s start the walk-around.

12
The DC-6B is a large aircraft and one of the first things you will notice as you approach
is its raked back stance. This is quite normal; the DC-6B was built to have a one-degree
pitch up when settled on its tyres.
The DC-6B nose differed between the DC-6B ‘round nose’ and the ‘radar nose’ to
which an extension was added to house the weather radar. This produced a noticeable
protuberance in the nose area and makes identifying a radar-equipped DC-6B very easy.

The ‘sad eyebrows’ look of the DC-3

windscreen when viewed from below is still
there up to a point although not quite so
marked. The front aspect of the cockpit,
however, is unmistakably Douglas.

13
 The lanky leg of the nose gear retracts forward
into the well and is covered by beautifully sculpted
doors which follow the contours of the nose.
A pair of bullet-shaped ADF aerials is mounted
beneath the forward fuselage. Other than these,
the underside of the fuselage is remarkably clean
of any protrusions into the airflow.

On the starboard (right) side of the

forward fuselage you can see the
crew/service door. Note how wide it
opens on its special hinges designed to
allow maximum access. A little further aft
and lower is the first of two cavernous
cargo holds, specially designed to handle
pre-loaded baggage and freight
containers much like today’s modern jets.

The main undercarriage is very large.

Its sturdy single-strut arrangement carries
dual-wheel combinations. These were
designed to withstand heavy impacts and
each wheel is capable of supporting the
airframe if its partner should fail.
Like the nose gear, the main gear retracts
forward, bending at the ‘knees’ and held
in tension by massive springs.

14
The gear is fully enclosed in the nacelles by the streamlined doors. At the aft ends of the
inner nacelles you will notice a faired-in fuel dump pipe. It extends downwards into the
airstream when fuel dumping is selected (the cockpit guide in this manual will show you
where to find the dump controls.)

Remarkably streamlined, the nacelles cover those massive double-row Pratt &
Whitney R2800s.
Each engine is capable
of producing up to 2,500
horsepower at take-off.
The propellers have electric
de-icing boots on their
leading edges and can be
fully feathered.
Some DC-6Bs were ordered
with streamlined spinners
instead of the traditional
exposed hubs.
Load up an Intercontinental
with spinners and you’ll see
the difference.

15
The big radials produced quite a lot of smoke on start-up and the hot exhaust gases stain
the polished nacelle panels and the tops and undersides of each wing. A special heat-
resistant light grey paint was applied in broad stripes over the wings to help with cleaning,
but busy workhorses were always noticeable by their grimy exhaust stains! Starting up one
of these monsters is an amazing sight, with a full-on pyrotechnic display of exhaust flames
and belching smoke.
Best not stand behind one at start-up!

On the trailing edge of each wing you will see the slotted flap arrangement. A narrower
inner flap with an aerodynamically designed profile will extend out and down over the gap
caused by the main flap extending backwards and down, away from the wing’s trailing
edge. This system was used in the Douglas Invader fighter/bomber to improve wing lift
and efficiency.

Conventional ailerons are mounted at each wing end with their trim tabs also evident.
As we move aft we come to the single passenger entry door. Unlike the DC-3, which had
optional left or right mounting, the door of the DC-6B is always mounted on the left side.
It is generous in width and opens right out for maximum access to the cabin.

16
The main differences between the DC-6B day plane and Intercontinental versions can be
found in the window arrangements. The day plane configuration has more windows aft of
the door aperture and is known as the ‘five window’ aircraft) The Intercontinentals have
four windows here and rows of unevenly spaced sleeper ‘slit’ windows down each side of
the upper fuselage.
The tail is huge and squared off compared to the DC-3 and DC-4 tails.
A tail bumper skid is mounted beneath the tail end of the fuselage to avoid damage to the
alloy skin should the pilot be a little overzealous at rotate!
Now it’s time to climb aboard and familiarise yourself with the cockpit…

17
PANEL GUIDE

On entering the cockpit area you are faced with a huge array of controls, dials, knobs and
switches which can be intimidating if you are unfamiliar with the DC-6B. In fact the cockpit
layout is quite orderly and there is a logical progression through the cockpit which makes
the DC-6B cockpit a breeze to handle.
Full panel guides are included later in this manual but here’s a general description of each
major component.
Let’s start with the overhead panels.
The forward overhead panel, closest to the windscreen, mainly carries the various tank
content gauges for fuel, water/methanol mix, hydraulic and anti-ice fluids and so on.
Also found here are the controls for each engine’s cooling cowl flaps.
Flanking this panel are two triangular overhead panels.
On the Captain’s side are the cabin heating controls and gauges, as well as airframe and
propeller de-icing switches.
The First Officer’s panel has the cabin pressurisation controls which maintain the pressure
settings in the pressurised main cabin.
The middle overhead panel carries all the main switches for the aircraft systems and
engine preparation and starting. Major electrical switches such as ground power and
battery power, generators and magneto controls accompany the engine start switches on
this panel.
Together with the central pedestal, this is the panel you will use most to operate the DC-6B.

18
Aft of this panel is another overhead panel which contains the switchgear for oil dilution
and water/methanol injection. The W/A (injection) switches are functional in this simulation
and you can add a significant power boost at take-off and in times of emergency.
A full guide to injection use is included later in this manual as it needs care to operate.
Either side of the middle overhead panel in the roof are the two panels that complete the
array of systems equipment on the DC-6B. The port panel is the fire control centre for
emergency fire procedures and the starboard one monitors electrical supply.
Straight ahead, between the two front windshields, is the directional gyro.
Immediately behind this is the ADF loop aerial control wheel.
Coming down to the main instrument panels, you will see a row of red levers and knobs.
These are the fire control levers to operate the fire extinguisher equipment throughout
the aircraft.
The main instrument panel is divided into three main sections:
Captain’s panel – contains all the flying and navigation instruments a pilot needs to
control the aircraft in flight.
Engine panel – all the gauges needed to monitor the performance and health of the four
engines and other systems indicators.
First Officer’s panel – the First Officer’s panel is essentially a mirror of the Captain’s panel.
Full panel guides are included later in this manual.
The cockpit is dominated by the large central console or pedestal, mounted between the
pilots’ seats. To gain better access to the controls, you can lift up the pilots’ seat armrests
by clicking on them.
The pedestal houses all the major controls for engine management, such as throttles,
propeller levers, fuel tank selectors and fuel cocks.
These all fall readily to hand and the throttles are duplicated for the First Officer. It is quite
common for the First Officer to operate the throttles, leaving the Captain’s hands free for
the yoke, especially in turbulence and at critical times such as take-off and landing.
Towards the rear of the pedestal are mounted the ADF, Navigation and Communications
radios and switches, the rudimentary GyroPilot (autopilot) and trimming controls.
At the rear of the pedestal are the mixture, carburettor heat, landing gear and flaps
controls and the master levers for the GyroPilot.
Immediately aft of the pedestal is a small door into the floor. When opened this reveals the
fuel dumping controls to shed fuel in emergencies to achieve a safe landing weight.
On the forward left side of the cockpit is mounted the nose steering wheel.
Each cockpit side wall has a housing and control for the opening pilots’ windows.
These are operated by the crank handle.
Windscreen wipers are controlled by switches which are conveniently mounted on a side
panel for each pilot, together with lighting controls.
Conventional rudder pedals, incorporating braking actuators, and large steering yokes and
columns complete the fit-out in the DC-6B cockpit.

19
Moving back from the cockpit proper, you will notice a small jump seat which was used
by the engineer/radio operator to operate controls on the pedestal when required. It folds
away when not in use (not simulated).
Behind the cockpit is the radio compartment and service door entry.
The bulkhead door leads to the passenger compartment, which in this simulator is
modelled to illustrate a typical seating layout for a DC-6B carrying passengers. There were
many layout permutations, as these areas were specified by the various airline customers
at the time of build.
Some day planes had sumptuous First Class cabins with sofa-style seating, bars and
coffee tables. Intercontinental DC-6Bs were equipped with sleeper berths – comfortable
bunk bed arrangements in place of luggage racks and lockers. These even had their own
small slit windows.

Camera views
Set camera views have been created in this simulation. From the VC (cycle through using
the [A] keystroke) these are:

Interior

1) Co-pilot or First Officer’s seat position

20
2) Engine controls

3) Rear pedestal

21
4) Upper overhead panel

5) Lower overhead panel

22
6) View of left engines

7) View of right engines

23
8) Passenger left view

9) Cabin looking aft

24
10) Cabin looking forward

Exterior

1) Nose

25
2) From the tail looking forward

3) Landing gear

26
4) Left wing
Use these views for navigating quickly around the cockpit or outside to locate the aircraft
in your surroundings. The landing gear view is a great one to select to watch the gear
extension and also at touch-down. Tail view is good for lining up for landing.
It’s time to go flying, so let’s climb into the Captain’s seat and get acquainted with
everything that makes a DC-6B fly.

27
OVERHEAD PANELS
Forward overhead panel
1) Ammeter
2) Anti-icing fluid contents
3) Hydraulic fluid contents
4) Oil quantities (10 tanks)
5) Left tip tank contents
6) Left auxiliary tank contents
7) Centre tank contents
8) Right auxiliary tank contents
9) Right tip tank contents
10) Left main tank contents
11) Centre 2 tank contents
12) Right main tank contents
13) Water/methanol contents
14) Cowl flaps controls
15) Landing light switches
16) Supercharger switches (non-functional)
17) Pitot heat switch

28
29
Mid overhead panel
1) Panel lights switches
2) Boost pump switches
3) ‘No smoking’ / ‘Seat belts’ signs
4) Inverter switches
5) Battery / ground power
6) Master battery switch
7) Starters
8) Engine selector
9) Ignition advance (non-functional)
10) Cabin lighting switch
12) Generator switches
13) Propeller feathering switches
14) Master avionics switch
15) Wing inspection (ice) light
16) Navigation light switches
17) Cockjpit lighting rheostats

30
31
Aft overhead panel
1) Oil dilution switches
2) Water/methanol injection
switches
3) Security equipment
toggle
4) Oil cooler door switches

32
Port overhead panel
1) Cabin heater gauges
(non-functional)
2) De-icing switches
(non-functional)
3) Fire control panel
4) Cockpit light rheostat

33
Starboard overhead panel
1) Cabin temperature controls
(non-functional)
2) Electrical Ammeter and Volt
meters
3) Cabin altitude gauges,
standby altimeter and VSI

34
MAIN PANELS
Captain’s panel
1) Airspeed indicator
2) Horizon indicator
3) Altimeter
4) Vertical Speed
indicator
5) Heading indicator
6) ADF indicator
7) ILS
8) Turn and Slip gauge
9) Radio Compass
10) OMI
11) Outer, middle, inner marker
lights
12) Clock
13) Landing gear indicator
14) Ground cart (Passenger steps
and vehicle) toggle

35
Engine / centre panel
1) Engine1 BMEP (Brake Mean Effective Pressure)
2) Engine 2 BMEP
3) Engine 3 BMEP
4) Engine 4 BMEP
5) Fuel pressure (x4)
6) Manifold pressure (x4)
7) Fuel flow (x4)
8) Oil pressure (x4)
9) RPM (x4)
10) Flap position indicator
11) Outside air temperature
12) Oil temperature (x4)
13) Cylinder temperature (x4)
14) Water/methanol mixture
15) Carburettor temperature (x4)

36
37
First Officer’s panel
1) Airspeed indicator
2) Horizon indicator
3) Altimeter
4) Vertical Speed Indicator
5) Heading indicator
6) ADF indicator
7) ILS
8) Turn and Slip gauge
9) Radio Compass
10) OMI
11) Outer, middle, inner marker lights
12) Clock
13) Landing gear indicator

38
39
PEDESTAL
Front group (throttles etc.)
1) Elevator trim control
2) Elevator trim indicator
3) Captain’s throttles
4) First Officer’s throttles
5) Tank selectors (per engine)
6) Propeller pitch lever
7) Starters
8) Cross-flow levers (automatic)
9) Propeller pitch switches (per engine)
10) Reverse thrust lock (automatic)
11) Reverse thrust indicator lights
12) Captain’s radar display
13) First Officer’s radar display

40
41
Middle group (radios and autopilot)
A) ADF TUNER UNITS E) RADIO SWITCHES
1) Frequency selector knob 5) COM 1
2) Frequency window 6) Audio marker switch
7) COM 2
B) NAV RADIOS 1 & 2 8) ADF 1 Audio
1) Inner knob (decimal points) 9) NAV 1 & NAV 2 radio switches
2) Outer knob (digits) 10) ADF 2 Audio
11) GyroPilot Mode Selector
C) COMMS RADIOS 1 & 2
1) Inner knob (decimal points)
2) Outer knob (digits)

D) GYROPILOT HEAD UNIT

1) Heading hold switch
2) Altitude hold switch
3) Gyro trim control (bank)
4) Gyro trim indicators (bank, roll, pitch)

42
43
Back group (flaps, gear, mixture etc.)
1) Engine mixture controls
2) GyroPilot master levers
3) Landing gear lever
4) Landing gear lock light
5) Aileron trimming wheel
6) Carburettor heat controls
7) Flaps lever
8) Hydraulics control (non-functional)

44
45
CONTROLS AND SYSTEMS
Note: All major operations in this aircraft can also be executed using keystrokes,
from either the default simulator list or your own selections.
Main Passenger door Shift/E
Cargo lockers Shift/E+2 (also calls the cargo truck if you are at an airport ramp)
Crew/service door Shift/E+3
Stewardess to stairs Shift/E+4
Fuel dump Set to your own preference but Ctrl+Shift+D suggested

This manual is not intended to teach you how to fly but serves as a guide to the major
controls and procedures necessary for successfully flying the DC-6B in Flight Simulator X.
The guide can be broken down into five main areas:
1. Flying controls
2. Fuel
3. Engine and propeller management
4. Electrical equipment
5. Radios and navigation

Flying controls
The DC-6B is equipped with all the conventional flying controls such as control column
and yoke, rudder pedals and trim controls.
The elevator trim is set by using the large trimming wheels either side of the pedestal.
You can also use your mouse wheel to rotate the control.

46
Rudder trim is controlled by a large knob at the rear of the pedestal, atop the
GyroPilot unit.
Note: Do not use this control to adjust the GyroPilot. Use the ‘Heading control’ on
the panels.

Aileron trim is controlled via a small wheel mounted at the base of the back of the
pedestal. A guide window is also fitted here.

47
Flaps are deployed using the yellow-handled lever at the rear of the pedestal.

Their position is monitored using a gauge mounted on the centre main instrument panel.

Landing gear is deployed using the red-handled lever at the rear of the pedestal.
An adjacent green light will glow once the gear is down and locked.

Wheel steering is fitted to the DC-6B and is operated by the small steering wheel to the
left of the Captain’s panel. Great care must be exercised when using the wheel as it is
VERY sensitive!
Use your mouse wheel to operate rather than clicking and dragging.

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Fuel
There is a total of eight tanks on board your DC-6B.
Each engine feeds individually from a selection of main and auxiliary tanks, selected
via a tank selector lever (four in total) mounted on the pedestal. Cycle through the lever
positions to familiarise yourself with the various tanks.

There is a single fuel cock lever, mounted on the pedestal. This shuts off all fuel to all
engines. The individual tank levers have shut-off positions at the end of their travel for
shutting down an individual engine.
Mounted in the overhead panels in the cockpit roof are the fuel quantity gauges and the
fuel boost pump switches.
Fuel quantity gauges – the gauges are marked with their relevant tank:

49
Fuel boost pump switches:

Just behind the rear of the pedestal and mounted in the floor is a small hatch for the fuel
dump controls. Lift the hatch and you will discover the dumping levers.

To test the system, pull up the levers and check outside to see if the fuel dump pipes have
extended from their housings in the inner nacelles, just aft of the gear doors.

50
Note: The maximum speed for fuel-dumping is 190 knots indicated.
Check your fuel tank gauges and you should see fuel draining away!
Close the dump levers and top up your tanks before flying.

Engine and propeller management

The big Pratt & Whitney radials are fairly easy to operate under normal conditions and
have few vices. It pays, however, to follow correct procedure in their operation for
continued reliable service and to avoid mishaps when in the air.
Each engine has its own starting system, selected via a control (A) in the main overhead
panel. As you turn the selector knob to a particular engine, you are activating the priming
(B), oil dilution (E), magnetos (D) and starter (C) for that engine.

The DC-6B is also fitted with water/methanol injection. This adds a special mixture
to the fuel and boosts combustion in the engine cylinders to provide more power.
Used judiciously, this is of immense help at take-off and when flying in difficult
weather conditions.
Note: The system is only available at throttle settings of 95% and above.

51
You can try the switches at lower throttle settings but the system will not be available.
At 95% throttle, when the switches are used, a green light above each one will glow to
indicate the system is working and a marked increase in power will be noticed at the
engine gauges.
Cowl flaps are fitted to each engine nacelle and these are opened and closed using the
rotary controls on the overhead.
Note: Do not confuse
these controls with the
power switches higher
up in the overheads.
These just indicate
power supplies to the
cowl flaps and do not
operate them.

52
Each propeller has controls for feathering and pitch:

The switches on the pedestal control the individual pitch for each propeller. The large
lever is a master pitch control and operates all propellers at once. To change the pitch of a
propeller from fine to coarse, pull the switch for that propeller backwards.
Immediately ahead of the propeller switches on the pedestal are the prop reverse lights.
These come on when the throttles are pulled right back to their reverse thrust position.
A red bar is also lowered to indicate that reverse is selected.
Each propeller is fitted with electrically heated de-icing on its leading edge. This is turned
on using switches in the overhead panel.

53
Electrical equipment
The electrical system of your DC-6B is supplied with power from on-board batteries for
normal flying or via ground power units when starting on the ground. The switches are
mounted in the overhead panel.

Each engine has its own electrical generator which is used to drive the electrical systems
and charge the batteries. The switches are on the overhead panel and there is a bar which
is used to turn all switches in unison.

Inverter switches for supplying power to instruments are located in the overhead panel.
These should be switched on for take-off.
Lighting is controlled by a variety of switches and rheostats mounted in the overhead
panels and in smaller panels on each side of the cockpit. Refer to the Panels Guide for
their location and use.
Electrical power can be monitored using the ammeters and Volt meter displays on the First
Officer’s overhead panel.

54
Radios and navigation
It is beyond the scope of this manual to teach you how to navigate. There are many
tutorials available, including Microsoft’s tutorial included with FSX, on how to tune
and use navigation equipment. Study of these together with the use of the on-board
DC-6B equipment can result in a very rewarding flying experience.
The DC-6B is equipped with ADF, VHF, Navigation and Comms radios.

The radio operating units are mounted on the pedestal. The radio chassis, power units and
signal generators are mounted on racks in the radio room aft of the cockpit.
ADF is tuned using the band selector and dials of the pedestal unit. Keep a close eye on
the tooltips for the frequency you are looking for. The ADF gauge is mounted on the pilot’s
main panels, together with OMNI bearing, directional (and Autopilot) heading indicator and
ILS displays. More in-depth information on how to use these instruments is included later
in the manual.
Navigation radios are tuned to the correct frequency with the double knobs provided on
the ‘head’ units mounted in the pedestal.
Comms radios are likewise tuned or set through the ATC window options when talking
with ATC.

55
FLYING THE DC-6B
What follows is based on an official checklist for the DC-6B covering pre-flight, engine
start, in-flight and landing procedures. For the sake of simplicity and your patience,
we have shortened the checklist to the basic essentials for safe flight.
Following this sequence will have you in the air and enjoying your DC-6B in no time!
Checklists and reference sheets are available via the kneeboard menu in the simulator.
Begin with all security and ground equipment toggled on and a ‘cold and dark’ cockpit.

Before starting engines

Toggle ground security equipment to OFF.
ShiftE/4 to call the cabin crew inside.
Toggle passenger stairs and support OFF.
Close all doors including cargo lockers.
Select Battery/Ground Power position to Battery.
Switch on Master Battery switch.
Switch both inverters to ON and main inverter switch to NORMAL.
Turn on the ‘No smoking’ and ‘Seat belts’ signs.
Check that the landing gear lever (red) is down and locked.
Ensure the parking brake is on.
If you are using ATC, tune and check for correct frequencies.
Check GyroPilot is OFF.
Set the altimeter and clock to ATC requirements.
Check all flight instruments for normal operation.
Switch on navigation lights and beacon.
Check the quantities on all fuel tank gauges and adjust as appropriate for your flight.
Select the ‘Centre’ tank for all engines, using the individual tank selector levers.
Propellers to 100% / maximum. Switches forward, lever forward.
Move all four mixture levers up to the fully rich position.
Turn all four cowl flap controls to open.

Starting engines
The correct engine start sequence for the DC-6B is 3-4-2-1.
So, to start each engine in turn:

56
Turn on the boost pump for No.3 engine.
Turn Engine Selector to No. 3 engine.
If starting from cold, click the primer switch about six times.
Turn (click) the magneto control for engine No. 3 to ‘Both’, taking care not to over-rotate
the control as this will turn over the engine.
Press the START switches.
Note: The correct procedure for engine starting is actually to press the starters and
then switch the magnetos to ‘Both’. This can be tricky but it is possible with the
mouse if you are reasonably quick.
Idle the engine at 1,000 RPM.
Start the other engines in sequence 4-2-1.
Check CHT (Cylinder Head Temperature) gauges and do not exceed 1,500 RPM if
temperature is above 100 degrees.
Before taxiing, check the magnetos for each engine by increasing RPM to 1,500 and
turning each control to ‘Left’. The RPM for that engine should not drop by more than 100
RPM. Return magneto control to ‘Both’.
Return engines to idle.

Taxi and take-off

Taxi using moderate throttle and steering control, or use rudder. Please note that the wheel
steering control is VERY sensitive. Use a small amount of mouse wheel to operate.
Once you are lined up and ready for take-off, move flaps to 20 degrees.
Add in about three degrees nose-up elevator trim using the trim wheel (one notch on
the indicator).
Check flight controls for free movement.
Move cowl flap controls to the mid-position.
Throttle up to take-off power:
• 2,700 RPM, 56.5” manifold pressure (no injection)
• 2,800 RPM, 59.0” manifold pressure (with injection)

If you are going to use water injection, Switch on the W/A switches after throttling up
(W/A is not available below 95% throttle in this simulation) and check green lights.
Release the brakes and keep straight using rudder corrections.
Rotate or lift-off speeds will vary with aircraft weight. Check the V-speeds table below for
the correct weight/speed combination.
Generally, pull back gently on the stick at around 105-110 knots indicated.

57
V-speeds

Weight VR VRef
(pounds) (knots) (knots)
75,000 98 97
80,000 101 100
85,000 104 103
90,000 107 106
95,000 110 109
100,000 113 112
103,800 115 114
107,000 117 116

Retract the landing gear once you have a positive rate of climb – at least 500ft per minute.
Once above 140 knots indicated airspeed, raise the flaps.
Turn off the water injection and reduce power to climb setting at 2,500 RPM and 45”
manifold pressure.
Climb by segments. Various power settings and airspeeds will provide constant climb
rates as you gain altitude. Please refer to the reference section found on the FSX
kneeboard for all the climb segments data.
If you are flying a radar-equipped aeroplane, switch on the radar.
Turn off the ‘Seat belts’ signs.

Cruise
Typical cruise power: 33” MAP (Manifold Absolute Pressure), 2,200 RPM (see the
kneeboard reference section for others).
Depending on altitude, always remember to adjust your engine mixture controls to
maintain power. A leaner mixture is required at higher altitudes.
Close the cowl flaps.
Keep an eye on fuel quantities and use the fuel tank selector to try to balance fuel
consumption from each tank and thereby maintain weight and balance.
As a general rule you can select the right tanks for the starboard engines and left tanks for
port engines. This will keep the aircraft in balance and ensure even fuel usage.
Switch on the GyroPilot and set accordingly. Heading is adjusted by the heading knob on
the pilots’ panels and there is an altitude hold switch on the GyroPilot unit.

Descent
Switch off the altitude hold switch on the GyroPilot.

58
Maintain safe operating temperatures and do NOT exceed 250 knots indicated in descent.
As you contact ATC and get instructions for approach, turn off the GyroPilot.
Reduce power accordingly and below 5,000 feet move the mixture levers into full rich.
If you need to lose weight, operate the fuel dumping equipment. Be careful – the fuel
empties quite quickly!

Before landing
Check and reset any altimeters to data given by ATC.
Open cowl flaps 25%.
Turn the ‘Seat belts’ and ‘No smoking’ signs ON.
Aim to enter the landing pattern at 175 knots indicated with 10 degrees of flap.
RPM should be around 2,300.
Switch on landing lights.
Begin your final descent at 160 knots indicated, 20 degrees of flap.
Lower the landing gear.
At around 1,000 ft you should aim for approximately 130 knots indicated, slowing to 120.

Landing
Cross the threshold at 105 knots indicated with full flaps, touching down at 95
knots indicated.
When all three ‘feet’ are on the ground, pull the throttles back through the gate to engage
reverse and brake evenly. At 40 knots, return throttles to idle and maintain braking.
Raise flaps.
Open cowl flaps and taxi to ramp under instructions.

Shut down
Toggle ground stairs and support vehicle.
Open the passenger door and call attendant to stairs (Shift+E+4).
Open luggage compartments and call luggage loader (Shift+E+2).
Call fuel truck (keystroke).
Move fuel tank selector levers one at a time to OFF in the reverse order to starting,
i.e. 1-2-4-3.
Turn all Magnetos to OFF.
Switch off all navigation and position lights.
Switch off master avionics.
Switch off batteries.
Breathe out.

59
OPERATING THE DC-6B SYSTEMS
Navigation equipment
Autopilot
The DC-6B is fitted with a basic GyroPilot. This a simple device which locks heading,
pitch and altitude to a given course. The unit is turned on using the master levers down
on the left side at the base of the pedestal back panel.

Heading is set using the heading adjust knob on the directional gauge, mounted on the
pilot’s panel.
Altitude can be held by using the switch at the back of the GyroPilot unit. Similarly,
you can lock the heading by using the heading hold switch, also at the back of the unit.

Instrument Landing System (ILS)

The Instrument Landing System (ILS) enables the pilot to line up his machine accurately
for approach and landing. The gauge in your DC-6B cockpit is a simple ‘cross-hair’
type and is used in conjunction with the navigation radios and the directional
compass/heading indicator.
To set up for ILS the navigation radios must be tuned to the relevant frequency(s) given by
the map information for the airstrip or airport runway selected.
Once the signal is received, the cross hairs will react – the horizontal line moving vertically
and the vertical swinging right or left.
The object of the exercise is to place your aircraft on the correct heading to bring the
direction needle in line with the course to the airport. Then, as you approach the airport,
you will see the ILS lines begin to move. If the vertical line is to the right, head in that
direction until it begins to move back to the centre. As it reaches the centre line, stop
turning and fly straight to keep the line in the centre of the gauge. You are now on course
for the centre of the runway.
The horizontal line indicates whether you are high or low for a correct approach and
landing. Keep the line centred by adjusting your altitude and speed.

60
Automatic Direction Finder (ADF)
Direction finding equipment is fitted to your DC-6B. This device uses radio waves to find
the course or heading needed to arrive at a particular destination. This is not always an
airport; navigation aids such as beacons and transmitters act as ‘waypoints’ and the ADF
can be used to find them and steer towards them.
Tune the ADF radios to the given frequency(s) and you will see the needle of the ADF
gauge move to the heading of the target. Manoeuvre your aircraft to bring the outer
needles into line with the heading needle. You are now on course for the target destination.
Used with the ILS system, accurate navigation around the world is possible, even for the
novice pilot.

Radar
Some versions of the DC-6B were fitted with a simple weather radar. Rather than
restricting the display to weather, we have installed the FSX traffic and airport radar so you
can get a more complete picture of your surroundings, traffic, waypoints and so on whilst
flying in the VC.
The radar screen is mounted in the square binnacle fitted to either side of the central
instrument panel just ahead of the pedestal

The switch for the radar display is mounted on the First Officer’s side panel.

A pop-up control panel for this radar is available with the Shift+3 keystroke.

61
Radios
Your DC-6B is fitted with ADF, NAV (1 & 2) and COMMS radios. Please refer to the panel
guides for details.
A basic radio stack is also provided in pop-up form using the Shift+4 keystroke.
Note: Although historically inaccurate, a modern GPS unit is also available in a
pop-up panel, using the keystroke Shift+2.

Fuel management
The pedestal is fitted with four fuel tank selection levers, one for each engine. This allows
for many different combinations of tank/engine.
Usual practice is to feed the left engines with the left tanks and the right engines with the
right tanks unless you are using the main centre tanks 1 and 2. This will maintain balance
in fully fuelled aircraft on long hauls. It is good discipline to only take on sufficient fuel for
your journey, with perhaps a back-up amount in the outer wing or ‘tip’ tanks as reserve.

Fuel dumping
Do not dump fuel with gear and flaps deployed and/or above 190 knots indicated.
The fuel dump levers are located beneath a cover plate immediately behind the pedestal.
Lifting the lid will reveal four levers for the engines. In this simulation all four levers lift
at once.
When lifted, the fuel dump chutes are extended at the rear of each inner nacelle and fuel
will flow from them very quickly. The entire contents of all tanks can be evacuated in just a
few minutes!
We hope you enjoy this new DC-6B as much as we did building it. The roar of those
beautiful R-2800s should bring many miles of simulator pleasure. Happy and safe flying!

62
CREDITS
Aircraft modelling and textures – Aeroplane Heaven
Flight dynamics and primary flight testing – Wayne Tudor
Special coding and instrumentation – Modular 9
Sounds – Modular 9
Project Management – Alex Ford, Martyn Northall
Installer – Richard Slater
Sales – James, Andy, Harley, Jamie
Production Management – Andy Payne, Dermot Stapleton
Design – Fink Creative
Manufacturing – The Producers
Support – Richard Slater, Martyn Northall, Simon Martin, Paul Cryer, Phil Rogers

Our special thanks to Barry Bromley at Aeroplane Heaven for his untiring dedication
beyond the call of duty!

63
COPYRIGHT
©2011 Aeroplane Heaven, Just Flight Limited. All rights reserved. Just Flight and the
Just Flight logo are trademarks of Just Flight Limited, 2 Stonehill, Stukeley Meadows,
Huntingdon, PE29 6ED, UK. All trademarks and brand names are trademarks or registered
trademarks of the respective owners and their use herein does not imply any association
or endorsement by any third party.

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