DC-3 Systems

Aircraft General

Aircraft General
Aircraft General
Fuel Systems

 Electrical
Electrical System
Hydraulics
Hydraulics
 Landing Gear
Landing Gear

 Spades

Spring

Rod

Spade

Retract strut
 Rod housing

Spade
 Two Handles

Latch
Handle

Landing Gear
 Gear Handle
1. Moves gear up or down.
2. Interconnected to latch handle

Interconnect prevents raising

gear on ground
Latch Handle

1. Moves spades in and out

2. Connected by cables to spades

and gear handle

Interconnect prevents retracting

gear on ground
Before takeoff or gear
down and locked
 Raising Gear
1. Pull HARD up on latch handle
2. Now raise gear handle full up.

3. When up, gear handle neutral,

4. Latch handle snaps to spring lock.

 Gear Down

1. Gear handle only down, pause, dont touch anything else

2. Look at gear hydraulic pressure gauge

Gear pressure normally zero in flight

 Gear Down, continued

3. Gear pressure will increase to match

system pressure

4. Now put gear handle in neutral

Green gear light

5. Finally, clip ring over latch handle: positive latch

 Landing
LandingGear
GearCall Outs
Callouts
1. Gear is Down
1. Gear Down
2. Pressure Up
2. Pressure Up
3. Handle neutral
3. Handle Neutral
4. Green Light
4. Green Light
5. Positive 5.
Latch
Positive Latch
6. Wheel on 6.the (Left/Right)
I have a wheel
Before Takeoff
Dog Shoe

Positive Latch Catch

Catch

After Takeoff

Shoe
Dog

Pull full up
Unlocked full up Catch
On latch lever
 After Takeoff
Gear Handle up

Full up
Dog
Shoe

Catch

Shoe
Dog
Snaps back
Catch To spring lock
Back to Neutral
 Cruise

Shoe
Dog

Spring Lock
Catch

Gear Down
Shoe

Dog
Spring lock,
then positive Catch
lock after
green light
 Out of Sequence Jam

Shoe

Dog

To Fix: Pull dog forward,

catch will spring between Catch
dog and shoe
 Landing Gear Problems
Hydraulic failure:
1. Gear handle down, gear will free fall
2. Handle neutral, green light
3. Latch normally.

If necessary use positive Gs to help free fall.

No green light.
1. Recycle handle, insure plunger is engaged.
2. Remove bolt connecting rod to handle.
3. Raise gear handle.
4. If gear remains down, spades are engaged.
5. OK to land .
Power Plant
Engine
 Pratt Cold Start
- Pull 15 blade while pre-oiling, check for hyd. Lock.
- Mixture rich

- Boost pump on, check for fuel pressure

- Pull both energize (Bendix) and mesh (shower of sparks)

- 2 blades: mags on

- Tickle prime

- When engine catches, increase throttle slightly

 Pratt Hot Start

- Mixture Idle Cut Off

- Boost pump on

- Pull energize and mesh

- Two blades, mags on

- Tickle primer if necessary (unlikely)

- When catches, Mixture auto rich

- Increase throttle to smooth out, boost pump off

Propeller
Propellers
 Piston
Prop Piston

Normal

Full Feather
 Feather Button, Normal
Push in, magnet holds solenoid closed
Electric feather pump starts

Pumps oil from 3 gal. reserve to dome

In 9 sec. prop feathers
Pressure cutout switch shuts off electric
pump when oil pressure increases
Magnet releases, button pops out
Feather Button:
Feather Button:Emergency.
Screw ups
Button does not pop out: (pump keeps
running, now begins
Fe to unfeather!)
Good way to die!
1.Pull out button; should stop pump.

2. If not, shut off batt. & generators

3. Use batt. sw. to control feather pump

 1. Pull out button

2.Shut off

3. Use battery to run pump

Fire Fire extinguisher
Protection System
OilOilSystem
systems
Pitot Static
Pitot Static
Avionics
Avionics
 Wt. and Balance
Weight & Balance
Operations
 Expander Tube Brakes
Expander Tube Brakes
Taxiing the DC-3 for the first time was about as easy as convincing a nervous
Jackrabbit to walk a straight line. That lady had the touchiest brakes in the whole
world: you just think about applying them and they grab. My instructor said: If
We had passengers aboard, they would all be stacked in the aisle, but dont sweat
it, its a well known axiom that the lady is a bit contrary on the ground
1951, Captain Tex Searle, The Golden Years of Flying

Stay off the friggin brakes, pretend

YOU DONT HAVE ANY!
 Traffic Pattern
In range check
Entry
1000 agl 1000 agl
24/2050 rpm
Climb check
36/2400 rpm
105 KTS

Downwind
-Gear dn.
- flaps Takeoff
21/2050 rpm 45/2700 rpm
90 KTS

Start descent 85 KTS

flaps stabilized

90 KTS
to full flaps
Before landing check
Single engine