Alright - there's been plenty of Dak bashing on this thread. Let me clarify some inaccuracies here;
1. The DC-3 is in an excellent single engine performer for its day. It is important to note though, that there are several factors which can lead the aircraft not performing adequately during single engine operation. In the case of D-CXXX - the case is very clear cut - the cowling flaps (or gills) were very clearly OPEN on both engines, thereby seriously damaging single engined performance ( a loss of 40ft/min at MAUW under ISA conditions, at sea level, also reducing the climb gradient by 0.4%, when opened on the "live" engine only). (Look at photographs here:
Rosinenbomber muss notlanden - Berlin Aktuell - Berliner Morgenpost - the position of the cowl flaps can be seen most clearly in the photograph where the aircraft strikes the ground ). Read more on the same topic here:
http://www.pprune.org/tech-log/39633...ml#post5330786 . Furthermore - if a reduced power take-off was performed (not Pratt & Whitney approved) the aircraft would still be worse off in the perfomance stakes.
Remember that the Airplane Flight Manual is not conjecture. Both Douglas and the FAA actually flight tested the airplanes to ensure that they met this performance criterion. If the airplane is operated ( and even more importantly, maintained) to the manufacturers specs - it will perform as the manufacturer says.
2. " Had the holding coil fry one time during a runup. Normally, you'd push the button and as soon as there was a rpm drop, you pull the button out. We pulled but the pump keep running and the engine shutdown. And then the prop blades started coming out of feather and going back in. The only way to stop the pump was to turn the battery master and other generator off. (Couldn't find the feather pump C/B quick enough.)"
DC-3 feathering motors ARE NOT FUSED (there is NO C/B!) - thereby necessitating the decal in the cockpit "Do not operate feathering button for more than 90 seconds" (or suchlike). Your snag could not have be caused by the holding coil "frying" (as this is easily overcome by finger pressure), but rather by failure of the feathering relay.
3. "I was booked on that next Sunday, phew, glad all OK. One of the first lessons you learn in a Dak, you lose a donkey and there is only one place you're going - down. ps it looks like a C-47 not a DC-3, it has the "big door""
Thats funny - thats not what the FAA, USAAF or Douglas say? I admit I know where all this nonsense that DC-3 cannot fly one engine comes from - bad maintenance, in the majority. The graphs drawn up in the 1940's (and later) were drawn up after exhaustive test flying on aircraft that were "correct" or 100% serviceable to the manufacturers specs. In my long experience on DC-3's, flying and mx, the control surface rigging is often abysmal, a great amount of aircraft have engines which cannot perform properly as their mag timing is bad, tappets out of adjustment and as is very often the case cowl flaps out of adjustment... Many operators have a scant regard for weight and balance and never bother to correct their W & B to density altitude etc..
The D-CXXX accident can easily be proven by simulation with another aircraft (remembering that the landing gear doors actually improve the single engine climb performance by 25 ft/min, the gradient of climb is increased 0.4%).
4. BTW The DC-3's landing gear can stay down and can be flown without the mechanical latch, provided that a) there is at least 500 psi hydraulic pressure in the down line when the gear is extended or b) the 500 psi pressure is trapped in the down line by moving the selector to neutral. Braking action is only used if ABSOLUTELY necessary. The landing gear can remain down, without hyd pressure or mechanical latch due to a 3 degree over centre movement between the upper truss and the oleo legs. This, however, cannot withstand hard forward movement of the aircraft or any kind of braking action. Therefore there are THREE things that keep the DC-3 landing gear down - (1) Mechanical latch (2) Hydraulic pressure (3) Over-centre movement I watched, with my own eyes, how an experienced DC-3 crew collapsed the landing gear on a DC-3 on the landing roll, through misunderstanding the system. To achieve a green light and no horn, you need (1) The landing gear lever selected "down" (2) When the landing gear hydraulic pressure has risen (usually 750 psi, but min 500 psi), the latch lever is latched to the floor again (this merely latches the lever as the latches engage automatically via spring tension when the upper truss passes the chamfered latch pin. In the event of hydraulic failure, "down" selection will elicit a free fall, which with the application of a little "g" will easily engage the mechanical locks (latches). When the latches are engaged, the landing gear is sitting slightly overcentre, which prevents undue stress on the latches in the event of hydraulic failure. (3) moving the landing gear selector to neutral, will allow the light(s) to turn green (there are 3 microswitches required to give you a green light, two on the landing gear upper trusses, which can only be met if the landing gear has moved to its 3 deg overcentre position, and (goes without saying) is latched by the mechanical latches, and one adjacent to the landing gear lever in the neutral postion. In the case of the DC-3 gear collapse I witnessed, the gear had been put down and the lever returned to neutral too quickly (the latches had not latched yet, no overcentre yet and the little hydraulic pressure trapped in the downline, insufficient to support the aircraft once the stress of a brake application was made.