Schedule Notes

Hopefully, almost everything appearing in the "Remarks" section of the schedule is clear and easily understood. There are, however, a few items worth mentioning even though you will ultimately figure them out.

  1. The "DC-3 Type Rating."

    These flights are not a test. No video recordings will be requested, there is no bar for you to hurdle. The type rating consists of five flights to give you the range of experience that you will encounter when flying the published routes. A sixth bonus flight is also included that you will especially enjoy. Total flying time of these six flights is just three and a half hours. Simply fly the flights and watch your proficiency and understanding of the DC-3 increase. And as a result, your flight-simming enjoyment will also grow. The flights are short; you can easily fly all six in two to three sessions, or up to six if you prefer.

  2. "Track to XYZ NDB," or "Track to XYZ VOR."

    When you see this notation, you are to fly the aircraft towards the referenced navigation station, but you will not actually reach the station. Another navigation instruction will provide further flight instructions before you arrive at "XYZ NDB," or "XYZ VOR."

  3. Finding the Navaids.

    To provide interest and avoid too much repetition, not all routes are in a straight path from departure city to arrival city. This occasionally complicates finding the Navaids when flight-planning. There are two solutions for this:
  1. "XYZ NDB, xxx;" or "XYZ VOR, xxx.x;"

    In all cases, the KHz or MHz designator has been omitted from frequencies. Once you see the letters "NDB," you will know that the frequency is in KHz, and when you see the letters "VOR or ILS," you will know that the frequency is in MHz.

  2. Distance between airports

    You may be surprised to see distances between airports as low as 26 NM. This is based on a solid foundation. My first DC-3 flight on a scheduled airline, Eastern Airlines, was between Washington and Baltimore. That distance is 26 NM.

  3. Routing

    In many cases, the range limitation of VORs and NDBs prevented a nice direct route between airports. Most VORs have a maximum range of 40 NM, while NDBs can be received up to 88 NM from the aircraft.


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