DORNIER

Do X

1.FLIGHT PROCEDURES

There are few things to say about how to fly an aircraft or its procedures. Like in those glorious times, it is better that each person should discover its tricks and behaviors. It is just necessary to consider that due to its weight, the weak power of its engines and its slowness of response, the movements must be previously anticipated. Due to the complexity of the real aircraft’s systems, especially those referred to the flight mechanism, we have had to simplify them as much as possible for their use in FS.

Take-off speed is around 160 km/h. For the take-off setting, keeping the rpm inside the yellow area, it will take us a few minutes to reach it, depending, naturally, on the gross weight of the aircraft. Before taking off, the trim must be totally elevated and once it speeds up, we will be able to check the tendency in case it is very accentuated. Everything has to be done by intuition because of the lack of any kind of indication.

Once we are flying, and after having reduced throttle to around 2150 rpm depending on the weight, the cruising speed must be kept from 185 to 190 km/h. At this speed, the fuel consumption is about 1700 liters/hour, so each tank gives an autonomy of about four or five hours. Back-up lights will turn on when we reach the 10% of capacity, about 800 liters.

To land on the sea, it throttles down to 2000 rpm, and the aircraft will begin to descend. We stabilize the nose using the trim, and, slowly, we will finally land.

We have installed an automatic pilot, although the original aircraft did not have one, in order to make long-distance flights less boring. Not to make it too simple, it does not stay at a determined altitude but it affects the aircraft response. As time goes by and the fuel is consumed, it will be necessary to vary that attitude by descending the nose to maintain the flight altitude.

It also has the option of keeping the direction, but before connecting the automatic pilot, it is necessary to reach the fixed route, and then, line it up in the route display. If we connect the automatic pilot and make it guide the aircraft, it will start to swing making the flight almost impossible. It must be because of some kind of incompatibility between the instrument and the aircraft which we have not been able to solve. Any suggestion or help you can give us will be appreciated. More information about the automatic pilot can be found in FS2004 as it is used in the same way as the original DC3 aircraft.

2.INSTRUMENT PANEL

1. Magnetic compass.

2. Turn indicator.

3. Vertical speed indicator: Reading in meters/second.

4. Barometric altimeter: Clicking the inner roulette we can vary the reference pressure.

5. ADF indicator: It is an ADF repetition instrument placed in the navigation panel. It only has an indicative function, so any ADF change has to be made in the navigation panel.

6. Changing from the instrument panel to the navigation panel: Clicking this area, the navigation instruments appear. When the arrow passes over the area, it becomes a hand.

7. Back-up lights: They tell us when each tank is below the 10% of its capacity.

8. Changing from the instrument panel to the radio panel: Clicking this area the radio panel appears.

9. Chronometer: Clicking the inner roulette we can vary the time compression.

10. Air speed: In km/h.

11. Changing from the instrument panel to the engine panel: Clicking this area we pass to the flight mechanism panel.

12. Rpm indicator: Passing the mouse over them we will see the rpm of each engine.

Pressing SHIFT+7 we can eliminate the rudder wheel to improve the view of the instruments.

3.THE ENGINE PANEL

1. Radiator temperature gauges: A reading from 0 to 100 centigrade degrees. During the flight, the rear engines normally work at a temperature slightly higher than the front ones.

2. Temperature/oil pressure gauge.

3. Tachometer: Rpm of the engines in pairs.

4. Mixture control: Moving the mouse over the area of the right sign, we can vary all the engines at the same time. Pushing over each of them we will do it individually.

5. Throttle control: They work in the same way as the mixture control.

6. Changing from the instrument panel to the engine panel: Clicking this area we will go back to the instrument panel.

7. Changing from the engine panel to the electric panel: Clicking this area the electric panel will appear.

8. Changing from the engine panel to the fuel panel: Clicking this area the fuel panel will appear.

Like in the instrument panel, moving the mouse over each one of the instruments, a sign with the right indication will appear.

4.THE FUEL PANEL

1. Front tank fuel gauge: Reading in liters.

2. Central tank fuel gauge: Reading in liters.

3. Individual fuel tank keys: Of each one of the 12 engines.

4. Rear tank fuel gauge: Reading in liters.

5. Main fuel tank key: It has four positions: VORDER (front tank), MITLERER (central tank), HINTERER (rear tank) and GESCHLOSSEN (closed).

6. Changing from the engine panel to the fuel panel: Clicking this area we will go back to the main instrument panel.

The rest of the panel instruments related to the main instrument panel are totally functional.

Different from other FS aircrafts , a feeding cannot be selected from all the tanks at a time. In case of doing it, the main key will be placed in the right position according to the front tank.

Like in the instrument panel, moving the mouse over each one of the instruments, a sign with the right indication will appear.

5.THE ELECTRIC PANEL

1. Inside lighting switch.

2. Outside lighting switch.

3. Double DC indicator: It registers the existing voltage and the consumed intensity in the dc

4. bar.

5. Battery switch.

6. Battery state indicator: It turns on when there is no feeding from the alternators and we are consuming resources directly from the battery.

7. Double battery indicator: It registers the voltage and the intensity supplied by the battery.

8. Alternator switches: There is one for each engine.

9. Alternator state indicator: It registers the voltage supplied by each alternator.

10. Warning light of alternator failure: It turns on when the alternator in question is not on line.

11. Magnetos.

6.THE RADIO PANEL

1. Radio setting light.

2. Frequency selector: It selects the frequencies in Mhz.

3. Frequency selector: It selects the decimals of the frequencies.

4. Open/shut button of the ATC panel.

5. ADF Morse identification indicator: When working, we will hear, in Morse code, the specific code of the ADF station selected on the instrument panel.

6. Main panel switch: It turns on/off the radio system.

7. ADF on/off switch.

8. Frequency band indicator: The big needle shows the selected frequency and a white small one, the decimals.

7.NAVIGATION PANEL

1. Selected ADF frequency indicator.

2. ADF direction indicator.

3. ADF frequency selector.

4. Automatic pilot: Follow the instructions in the DC3 flight manual. Important: The automatic pilot is unable to take the aircraft to the fixed route. Therefore, it is necessary to fly in the appropriate direction, and connect it after making both indicator readings coincide.

CONCLUSIONS

We hope you will enjoy the result of this project. This is the product of many hours of hard work and dedication with the only objective of making a dream come true: to feel as if we were inside the cockpit of this mythical hydroplane. We have tried to reproduce it with the greatest fidelity, finding instruments from those times, respecting the magnitudes used by the German people (and, of course, their language), simulating the inside of the virtual cockpit comparing it with photographs.

With best wishes from the DORNIER DO-X development work team.

Oscar Pedrosa and Francisco Izquierdo, 2004.