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Just so that no one can say I didn´t test 1.32 long enough...

Although the ‘Gooney Bird’ is not the most complex aircraft in existence, the systems simulation has its own, unique challenges. X-Plane offers a generic way to simulate systems, so most of the times, you have to expand or adapt with the implementation of extra logic(s) via the use of plugins. The developer adds complexity to systems, which most of the times it is about newer automations that does not exist in X-Plane “default logic”. As you might imagined already, here the situation is almost the opposite. The added complexity has as target to reduce automation! Aircrafts from that era, do not enjoy automations we take them for granted in the recent years. One example is the landing gear extension/retraction operation. In a normal aircraft, you manipulate a lever, and in the background, electromechanical components, do the job of extending or retracting the landing gear. In the DC-3, you actually operate the valve that sends hydraulic fluid to the one or the other side of the hydraulic cylinder to retract or extend the landing gear, leaving aside (for now, we will talk about it in the future) that you have to manipulate up to 3 “things” to complete the operation! This leads us to the need to override X-Plane’s behavior with our custom one. Building the proper logic requires knowledge not only of how the systems are operating, but also intricate details, beyond of what is written in the manuals. We are very honored to enjoy the help and advises from a guy that both flew and maintained DC-3s and C-47s! His insights drives us to add a huge amount of extra details in the systems simulation side, way more that we had originally planed. So if you have the question “why the update takes so long?”, now you have your answer. Because examples help understanding, here is another one that might shed light upon the level of detail we are putting in, something we’ve already shared in our discord channel. Those old aircrafts are equipped with some old generators that must come up to temperature to provide the maximum amount of voltage they can. Taking into account various factors (environmental, time in operation, etc) we calculate another factor that plays role in the generator output, and if will connect or not to the main bus (despite if you have put the switch to ON position), as function of the voltage regulator, which we also simulate. That’s all for the introduction of the DC-3 systems. In the next updates we will look closely every system and its operation. While I am trying to post updates as dense as possible, sometimes you have to progress the work first enough, and then talk! Stay safe and enjoy flight simming!

Use the rudder bar for general taxiing and use differential brakes and thrust for tighter turns (eg. Turning off the stand or for backtracking on runway). Interestingly, although the nosewheel steers through the rudder pedals, beyond 45° it disengages automatically and becomes free-castoring, giving the aircraft an incredibly tight turning radius of under ten metres.