INTRODUCTION:
The DC-3 is a twin-engine, propeller-driven airliner. It is an all-metal, low-wing monoplane. During World War II, it was used for transport and supply missions, paratroop operations, glider towing, and the evacuation of the wounded.
The VSKYLABS DC-3 was designed as a plausible restoration of a WWII-era C-47B variant, which was intended for high-altitude operations.
It is equipped with two 1,200 hp Pratt & Whitney 14-cylinder Twin Wasp R-1830-92 engines, each driving a Hamilton Standard paddle-blade, fully feathering propeller. Notably, the earlier VSKYLABS C-47B variant was equipped with R-1830-90C engines, which featured a two-speed internal blower for supercharged performance.
The hydraulic landing gear is of the tailwheel type. The main wheels retract vertically into the engine nacelles but remain extended approximately 11 inches when fully retracted. In this position, they are free to rotate and remain subject to normal brake action. Therefore, in principle, the aircraft may perform an emergency landing with the gear retracted, depending on the nature of the landing surface. In such cases, the propellers will inevitably be subjected to ground impact.
