Milviz DHC-3 Otter released

[BendyFlyer]

Yep I mean a landing on main gear, setting the tail down as you slow. While it's theoretically true that a 3 point landing should result in the shortest ground roll, there are many reasons to use wheel landings in the bush. More control in wind, better vis over the nose, and maybe most importantly when landing on a rough surface - tundra tires and main gear are built to absorb the impact of rocks and bumps at landing speed, while tailwheels and empennages generally are not. Youtube up some gravel bar landings in the bush and you'll see what I mean; not saying you won't find any 3 pointers as it can be done in some circumstances, but you'll find most pilots prefer wheelies there.

So you're saying the MV Otter can make a well-behaved wheel landing without the hopping and tail-banging that plagues its sibling? It will just roll onto the mains and stay there with some forward yoke, tail easing down as it slows? This would be welcome news, thanks...

Stearman, correct and agree re flying taildraggers. My only comment on tail-draggers is that some are a bugger if they have a narrow wheelbase in wheels only mode and can and could swing badly if one was not on top of it. The Beaver and Otter have a good wheelbase and therefore had reasonably good ground handling. Got one wing up though hitting the differential brakes too hard. Any tail dragger can still bite you hard if you get careless.

I have just finished about and hour and a half of circuits into a short dirt strip used to be a twin otter only strip near Newcastle NSW (Aeropelican) etc in the Otter and it does a wheels landing fine. The only issue I have is me and probably my PC (I do have a low end system and this one is pushing the boundaries for memory usage occaisonally, so I am getting used to shutting everything down except sim programs when I use it, I do get a little lag in response [millisecs probably] but there has been no misbehaviour either wheeling it on or a 3 pointer. The difficult thing with this one is the very low speeds for all phases of flight and big engine which means for a takeoff by the time it accelerates to liftoff speed it wants to fly basically straight away and I do find the trim a little slow for my liking to take effect to re-trim in most phases of flight. Same issue with landings it wheels on but as soon as that speed drops it will settle back on you on to all three but in either phase of flight no bouncing or tail banging that I have experienced so far. Got a bit of work to do to get used to the ground handling and the powered tail wheel arrangement which is awkward to get to in the VC from the left hand seat.

[Javis]

Jan um well I cannot say every Otter ever made for flight sim, though there was as FS9 version that I ported across into FSX but it was hopeless.....

Thanks for your elaborate sum up about STOL and the Otter in particular,FB !

I can only agree with everything you say, apart from the real stuff of course because i've never even seen a real DHC-3. I suppose they were only sporadicly used in these parts of the wood because i can't even remember having seen one in a museum. It is purely thanks to MSFS that, in a strange way, i became attracted to it. Next to the DC-3 it became my favourite ride after stumbling over Fred Banting's and Steven Grant's wonderful freeware renditions from FS95 onwards. Most probabely because the Otter IS like a truck, isn't it, and i do like trucks. ( take only the way the pilot enters the cockpit i.e. very truck-like ;-)


Personally i have sorely missed a good rendition of the DHC-3 Otter in FSX, that's why, in the end, after all these years, i finally had enough of waiting and started my own Otter project. I think about two months into development, like lightning out of a blue sky, here come even TWO of the most well known and respected FS developers announcing *their* Otter projects..... As we say here in Holland "Nou breekt mijn klomp!! " ( 'there goes my wooden shoe' ... ;-) I intend to create a repaint for either the JF or Milviz Otter with an image of a broken wooden shoe on the nose with this exact expression underneath it.


Btw, talking about repaints, if you're looking for inspiration, i just stumbled over this here wonderful 'DHC-3 Otter archive' : https://www.dhc-3archive.com/DHC-3_77.html ( thank you Matthew Kane ! )


Nontheless the wasted time i spend on my own creation i am particularly over the moon with the Milviz Otter. Of course i loved the AH rendition as well, even if only for the fact that, finally, after waiting all these years, we could welcome back a full blown all singing and dancing representation of the venerable DHC-3 Otter in our beloved virtual flying world. ( when i first glanced upon the 'broken' exhaust pipes of the Virtual Col attempt i knew that didn't bode well for the completion of my hope to have a good Otter back in the sim again..)


But that's all hot air through the exhaust pipes now ! ( nice to read about this particular destinctive feature of the Otter in the Milviz manual, like everything else, a very well done manual ! )

( pity Milviz ain't no fan of steam gauges glass protection. VC's are all amazing but after each flight i have to go down on my knees looking for broken off gauge needles on the floor... ) ( would also have loved to 'uncurtain' the curtain and step inside the cabin.. )


In between work i'm going to fly the pants off the seat of these Otter creations. A flightsim dream come true if ever there was !

Well I am now a very happy camper, the MILVIZ Beaver and Otter, Milton Schupes Dash 7 and the Aerosoft Twin Otter, my cup runneth over with STOL aeroplanes built by de Havilland Canada.

Don't forget the amazing Sibwings AN-2, FB. Talk about a truck, éh ? Not sure yet but i believe it ain't doing much in P3Dv4, does it ?...

Anyhow for those around if you want to really go bush flying with a model that performs like a STOL aeroplane should but looks great, has an appropriate vintage and modern VC and amazing sound package, then this is it, FULL STOP.

Fully agreed !

Cheers,
Jan

[Javis]

Btw, i wanted to edit out the spaces in my post above but there's just no way i can get the post into the editor.... Happens every now and then. No matter what i try. The edit window remains blanc... I can copy and paste the post into the editor and make the changes but when i try to save the edit all i get is "this page doesn't exists".

This post actually edits fine... ( this is an edit... ;-) so maybe it has to do with the lenght of a post ??....

[Alan_A]

Don't forget the amazing Sibwings AN-2, FB. Talk about a truck, éh ? Not sure yet but i believe it ain't doing much in P3Dv4, does it ?...

No... but Aerosoft is pretty far along with the new OctopusG version, complete with Alexander's flight model. Looks like it'll be a worthy (and P3D4-ready) successor. Details in this thread.

Sorry for the OT, but Annushka news is worth spreading...

[Javis]

No... but Aerosoft is pretty far along with the new OctopusG version, complete with Alexander's flight model. Looks like it'll be a worthy (and P3D4-ready) successor. Details in this thread.

Sorry for the OT, but Annushka news is worth spreading...

Sure is ! Thanks, Alan ! Mathijs says it's going to even overtake the Sibwings An-2.... Seeing is believing! Can't wait!

[BendyFlyer]

Some folks would like some screenshots . This is the amphibian version on a run from Port Morseby to Esa'sala an Island north of Milne Bay. REX, FSXWX, ORBX Global+Vector.

[Timmy74]

Hello Chaps,

After some great correspondence with CJ at Milviz -thank you mate- I have got my frame rate issues sorted.

I had "Mipmap VC Panels" ticked in my option settings. After unpicking this option she is now back up to 30 FPS. I never really understood what that option was all about and it never effected any other aircraft of mine.....!?

Anyhow, I just thought that i would pass it on so others do not get put off from this outstanding package.

So now I can clear the prop and kick the chocks!

Cheers,
Tim.

[BendyFlyer]

Hello Chaps,

After some great correspondence with CJ at Milviz -thank you mate- I have got my frame rate issues sorted.

I had "Mipmap VC Panels" ticked in my option settings. After unpicking this option she is now back up to 30 FPS. I never really understood what that option was all about and it never effected any other aircraft of mine.....!?

Anyhow, I just thought that i would pass it on so others do not get put off from this outstanding package.

So now I can clear the prop and kick the chocks!

Cheers,
Tim.

Tim, I have never seen or heard of this one in FSX. Could you provide some more details.

[Timmy74]

Tim, I have never seen or heard of this one in FSX. Could you provide some more details.

My bad..... It is to do with P3D.

Sorry.

[stearmandriver]

Stearman, correct and agree re flying taildraggers. My only comment on tail-draggers is that some are a bugger if they have a narrow wheelbase in wheels only mode and can and could swing badly if one was not on top of it. The Beaver and Otter have a good wheelbase and therefore had reasonably good ground handling. Got one wing up though hitting the differential brakes too hard. Any tail dragger can still bite you hard if you get careless.

I have just finished about and hour and a half of circuits into a short dirt strip used to be a twin otter only strip near Newcastle NSW (Aeropelican) etc in the Otter and it does a wheels landing fine. The only issue I have is me and probably my PC (I do have a low end system and this one is pushing the boundaries for memory usage occaisonally, so I am getting used to shutting everything down except sim programs when I use it, I do get a little lag in response [millisecs probably] but there has been no misbehaviour either wheeling it on or a 3 pointer. The difficult thing with this one is the very low speeds for all phases of flight and big engine which means for a takeoff by the time it accelerates to liftoff speed it wants to fly basically straight away and I do find the trim a little slow for my liking to take effect to re-trim in most phases of flight. Same issue with landings it wheels on but as soon as that speed drops it will settle back on you on to all three but in either phase of flight no bouncing or tail banging that I have experienced so far. Got a bit of work to do to get used to the ground handling and the powered tail wheel arrangement which is awkward to get to in the VC from the left hand seat.

Good deal; thanks for the assessment!

[Skyhawk18]

U.S. ARMY livery (WIP)

[YoYo]

Promo video:

[simondix]

Lovely plane. Only niggle is I cannot get the flap indicator to work.

[YoYo]

Lovely plane. Only niggle is I cannot get the flap indicator to work.

It works, it's a small dot on inditicator (very small ):

[simondix]

Thanks YoYo. I will have to go to Specsavers.

[Timmy74]

I have a few liveries in progress. Here's a RAAF livery (soon to be uploaded)

Hello Gunner,

Any news on your Otter paints please....?

[Lonewolfee1]

Now that we're swimming in Otters. I really wish someone would make a Turbo Otter.

[Skyhawk18]

Hello Gunner,

Any news on your Otter paints please....?

Download link for the RAAF Otter: https://www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/k6ksy5

[Timmy74]

Download link for the RAAF Otter: https://www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/k6ksy5

Thank you very much Gunner.

[Timmy74]

U.S. ARMY livery (WIP)

Hello Gunner,

When would your other Otter repaints be up for grabs please...? ie: This one and the UN one.

Cheers,
Tim.

[Skyhawk18]

Hello Gunner,

When would your other Otter repaints be up for grabs please...? ie: This one and the UN one.

Cheers,
Tim.

Just a few texture spots to localize and paint on the ARMY livery. So I will post a DL link in a couple of days.
I also have some minor adjustments to do on the UN livery. I will post a link for that one as well in a couple of days.

[Skyhawk18]

Download link for the U.S. ARMY livery (zip file): https://www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/vta9wa
Download link for the UN livery (zip file): https://www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/v5rj6h

[Timmy74]

Download link for the U.S. ARMY livery (zip file): https://www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/vta9wa
Download link for the UN livery (zip file): https://www.sendspace.com/pro/dl/v5rj6h

Thank you very much Gunner.

[gray eagle]

Already have the Virtualcol Otter and also the JF Otter and cannot see any justification spending money for another Otter. Both the ones I have fly well for me.

I too am on the fence as to which Otter to purchase. I saw the Vid on the JF Otter (who makes the JF version)? and the Milviz one. Now IMHO, Milviz puts a lot of tech features in it, and that's fine.
and I like the paints in the JF version were (I'm guessing) kick the tires light the fire and go fly.

Milviz believes in using a Addon Management System and to me I have to pause my flight sim, then open the MVMS and make configeration changes then close MVAMS and open the Flightsim. That is
one of their signature features with all their aircraft. Just my perspective.

[fliger747]

We used the turbine Otter, which was a somewhat different airplane performance wise, but it still fly's like an Otter... The normal procedure was a wheel landing, which it does quite nicely, not sure if I have seen someone bounce one! It's main landing difficulty is in crosswinds, requiring a lot of the rather large rudder and often some trim. The main wheels are placed quite forward but have a wide enough track to make it relatively stable on rollout. As far as elevator trim goes, the ideal trim is such that the tailwheel will lift a small amount by itself before the plane flies off or a minor rotation is executed. Landing on glaciers a very flat landing was used and on Bush strips tail low but not three point. Tailwheels are the weakest part of the gear and one generally wants to protect if from abuse.

Thanks to the whiz kids for replicating the rather unusual powered tailwheel!

TF