De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter - Phoenix R/C simulator - SupermotoXL Designs

Details: Published: 03 April 2021

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About

If there is one plane i must build to make my life cycle complete as a 3D modeler that would be......aaaahh!!.........nope not the F-14 Tomcat.....its the De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter! This is the plane that strike my love for flying especially the strong ambition to fly inside the cockpit of an propeller driven FPV plane just to r dev dhc6 xl 93 elive that dream seeing back all that mighty big propeller planes spinning and took chunks of the clouds as it punch through it.

I was born in Borneo island, to travel between rural town in dense forest of the tropical continent that only host a small airfield the 'De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter was the only reliable air transport for our people to move around 40 years ago. From 1970's to present day of year 2021 this plane still active, going strong and dependable in places inaccessible by modern plane such as its direct rival the ATR 72-600 and formerly FOKKER 50 which also operated at same timeline under the same airline company. Until today no other aircraft could perform as good as the DHC-6 because of its STOL (Short Take-off & Landing characteristic) on short rural airport. The small town where i was born had an airstrip with short runway located wedged between valleys. Its take pilot with guts just to fly this plane in very turbulent weather, cold and foggy condition just to land at birth town, i have to give a mad respect to these pilot! However that was 4 decades ago, by the 1995 to this day this rural airport now abandoned and has become recreational place for R/C modeler enthusiast, drag racer and recreational jogger. It was replaced with newer and bigger airport located towards the sea that could accommodate bigger aircraft like the ATR 72-600 and the DHC-6 400 series also move in too but took a small role unlike the yesterdays. dev dhc6 xl 03

Back in my childhood days this was my only mode of transportation to fly back to my hometown to visit grandparents every Christmas season. From 1970's until mid 1990's that means i've been through cycles of boarding on DHC-6 Twin Otter with different fuselage livery as it changes over time from airlines company by MAS AIRLINES to MASWINGS. I could remember a total of 3x livery type was implemented on the DHC-6. In my young days i would ask my parent if i could seat closest to the windows direct where i can view the 3x bladed propeller and the engine cowling that house the almighty 'Pratt and Whitney Canada PT6A-27' all the way to 'PT6A-34' engines. I can clearly remember those 'Dependable Engines' logo stamped beside the cowling. The sound of sequential engine startup, the turbo prop engine revving and the hums of the propeller blades really excites me to the core. I was dazed and gazing all the time at these mechanical marvel from take-off and landings. The design shape of the DHC-6 Twin Otter propeller nose cone and engine cowling is the huge reasoning i love the P-51D Mustang & MK-24 Supermarine Spifire...and this escalated further into all my FPV planes including having the Pitts Special fitted with such nose cone too. Onboard the pilot cockpit is clearly visible from passenger view dev dhc6 xl 92 , i would awe in amazement how these pilot operate all those instrument and unique sound of the instrument whirling around which inspire me to fly my own FPV plane in such a way i would seat in the same cockpit too. Overall it was my best childhood experiences ever not even modern civilian aircraft such as the ATR, FOKKER, Boeing or Airbus could the same experience as what DHC-6 Twin Otter could offer. When ever i flew my FPV plane the P-51D Mustang, Pitts Special and the Drifter Ultralight from in the skies and through the cloud it offer the exact same feeling like when i was on DHC-6 while viewing the carpets of forests from above.

Overall without the existence of DHC-6 i wouldn't have the urge to become and R/C modeler all the way to an FPV pilot. This plane has contribute huge part of my childhood excitement and dreams to enjoy aircraft technology and be part of the sky. To compliments these it was time for me to build a replica version of my childhood plane for PHOENIX R/C simulator and let the legend lives on!

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The build

First of all i would like to thank Mr. Alvin Lim for sending me 1:72 scale REVEL plastic kit of DHC-6 Twin Otter so i could use it as sample for 3D outline tracing and texturing work. Few year back i've eyed one his model Twin Otter model with MASWING livery insist if he could sell it to me but he as a perfectionist he wouldn't because it wasn't build perfectly to let it go. By year 2020 he surprised me a gift in a box a kit so i could work my magic. dev dhc6 xl 06 Hey thanks man! Btw in the past almost 30% of the scale R/C Warbirds plane in my hangar was purchased from him at more than half price so he really did help me out gain mass amount of flying models. He is also part of our local R/C flying club member too.

So ok good news!, unlike my previous sim model build this one comes with actual ready blueprint and actual physical kit so i can do better 'visual' reference modeling unlike the days i would have to Google online for pieces of raw blueprint and measurement. Not much work other than to scan the blueprint, weathering the 'blank' kit and take panel texture photo for UV mapping phase right?...nope..almost. Unfortunately now i understand why Mr. Alvin Lim giving away this particular REVEL plastic kit, it seems the fuselage and parts are lack of embossed rivets, panel lines and other microscopic aesthetics that need for texturing works, plus some of the plastic surfaces are very 'bumpy' as if its not properly plastic molded out of factory. At the end of the day i still have to put 50% effort to sources out proper surface texturing on the internet especially of the main fuselage with riveted panels and lines.

First phase of the work i need to digital scan the blueprint of D dev dhc6 xl 08 HC-6 Twin Otter from the provided manual book from REVEL kit. Its then resized, tiled and rearrange in Photopaint editor into usable Orthographic layout view for 3D tracing works so i could lay 3D lines and vertices. Fortunately this model is easy to work on unlike previous models such as MACROSS models build, the DHC-6 fuselage and wings are very 'open' to layout the outlines and curves with no hidden or angular parts meshes...less guess work. The only parts that take few amount of 3D polycounts due to curves are the engine cowlings and the frontal nose fuselage. Upon 3d model meshes completion the total worth of 3d meshes are; Vertices: 9363 and Faces: 12117 which all already include with collision (_col*) meshes which is a good model to run on low end computer's CPU. Since the model was build using a relic Z-MODELER 3D program the build is using a different unit measurement than the ones used on PHOENIX RC BUILDER. So despite the model wingspan measured at 6740mm (6.74 meter) in the workspace when running in simulator its claimed as 5000mm (5 meter) which makes it looks bigger than usual, but anyway regardless bigger is always good for VLOS flying! (Visual Line Of Sight).

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Second phase the plastic kit need to be repainted with blank slate white color because originally some parts already pre-painted with dark color half way before it was abandoned by previous owner. I got a fresh can of TAMIYA TS White acrylic spray re-spray it back to original. Then photo are taken on individual parts template then transfer to Photopaint editor to generate realistic colored texture of the DHC-6 Twin Otter fuselage, panels and parts. Since not all parts shows realistic aesthetics panel lines and rivets i have to put extra texture i acquired from internet searched on dev dhc6 xl 17 DHC-6 fuselage, windows, wheels, rudder and others then put on Photopaint program for 'clean-up' work. Next texture will be re-arrange and stitch work. 3D UV mapping is extremely easy and straight forward since the model parts are very 'direct' and open without any hidden nooks and crevices to slot the texture on 3d model surfaces.

As for the flight control application via Phoenix Builder tools the setup parameter for DHC-6 is extremely easy and simple; just need assign basic Aileron, Flaps, Elevator, Rudder, wheels steering, CG (Center Gravity) and engine turbo prop setup then its ready to roll out for a test run. To get the iconic 'PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA PT6A-34' turbo fan engines and the propeller pitch sounding right inside the Phoenix R/C simulator i've manage to tune down the pitch sound of the Turbo Fan setting to almost 50% lower..not perfectly 100% matches but almost felt right for the ear! The turbo fan engine engine startup also setup to have slower propeller spool up and down at 0.01 response rate than default 1.0. Overall build completion it took under 48 hours to completed however that doesn't count time spending on flight test and debugging.

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Real world DHC-6 Twin Otter:

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3D construction:

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Texturing works and decaling:

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Applying control surface and parameters:

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Final production in R/C Phoenix:

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Below are the virtual stock attributes value on DHC-6 Twin Otter that influence a lot on how it flies in Phoenix R/C, i setup the aircraft as 'Trainer' flyer type in simulator:

Actual wingspan: 6740mm (in simulator menu claim as 5000mm)
Flying weight: 42.799kg
Turbine unit: 2x Fuel turbine (Turbo Fan)
Propeller blade count: 3x
Outer main wing airfoil type (flaps + aileron): MH32
Side fuselage airfoil type: NACA 0015
Vertical stabilizer airfoil type (rudder): Flat profile
Elevator airfoil type: Flat profile
2x Turbine idle rpm: 0
2x Turbine max rpm: 8200
3x wheeled landing gear static/non-retractable.
Minimum take-off engine rpm: 4700
Minimum runway taxi engine rpm: 2700
Minimum take-off velocity: 21m/s

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Flight characteristic

Behold! a plane that everyone can fly even for beginners! Unlike previous aircraft model that i've build which requires extensive R/C flying experience to operate the DHC-6 Twin Otter is extremely docile and tame plane to fly with suit great for beginners level flying and above. Its high winged configuration, wide sturdy fixed landing gear and huge thick wings and overall flight surfaces means it floaty and a great STOL (Short Take-off & Landing) characteristic for any dev dhc6 xl 49 in-simulator weather condition. A great plane to train how to fly before you could graduate to flying more harder and advance level plane. On the flip side this plane is not as agile as the rest of my build so don't expect it to perform any radical aerobatics or stunts since this one is build as civilian performance aircraft pretty much level of agility as the CESSNA, PIPER CUB or any high winged trainer. It flies like a cow but a gentle flying cow... it reminds me of flying my old SKYSURFER glider. The plane handles almost close to real life DHC-6 flying characteristic rather than zippy miniature R/C model plane. The size of the DHC-6 R/C plane is twice the size of any average scale R/C model available in the simulator inventory, build as super scale size R/C plane for more authentic feeling of flying a true DHC-6 with added advantages of better visibility and handling due to larger wing surface. On the 'Cons' side you'll need to select flying field with bigger runway width and length to accommodate such model size. *Note: You'll also need to use 'Brake' very often before take-off so that this allow the turbo fan engine to rev up above 4500rpm before rolling off the runway and lift off the ground.

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Aesthetically the DHC-6 is a fun plane to watch than just flying it especially if you like to admire the beauty of this plane in the air, doing 'scale' like low passes, take-off and landing; the same moments you would experience as a spectator on the runway in real life which is strong the reason i wanted to build this plane. Although its bigger in scale size this Twin Otter flier at slower pace despite its running on max 8200rpm miniature Turbo Fan R/C engine. dev dhc6 xl 61 Unlike most R/C plane in the simulator the DHC-6 engine startup are very slower to spool up its propeller that is because in real life even on miniature R/C scale that's how an actual turbo fan engine works. Don't forget it also takes longer time to spool down the engine to 0 rpm when you throttle down to zero so make sure not to overshoot the runway and lower the throttle engine much early before planning to decent to runway. The aileron and elevator control have a very damp, soft and slow rate feeling on the stick but the rudder control are very responsive due to the fact it has much bigger surface control and you can almost do a 'Knife Edge' flying trick with it. If you need to do some effective turning or banking the rudder really helps much better than aileron's and elevator 'bank-n-yank' method which is true in real life DHC6 Twin Otter flight handling. As easy to take off from runway the landing also is a breeze too, just use the rudder to align yourself, spool down the throttle early and flare using elevator few second before touch down. The Twin Otter overall experience is a breeze to fly when compare to all my R/C plane that i build for this simulator previously.

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Summary

The best word to describe when flying this model is 'Scale' flying.....flying it with style to invoke realism flight of an actual life size ;''De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter'. That's pretty much what old R/C pilot dev dhc6 xl 62 would do when they fly their realistic scale looking R/C plane. That's why many old R/C pilot love to fly bigger size scale planes and run a slow fly by just to admire scale aviation beauty in the air, that what this DHC-6 build is all about. To be honest its not really a fun R/C plane you would throw about 360 at fast reflex like you would do on a park flyer or aerobatic plane but if you like to fly it as what it is then this plane is definitely for you especially ideal for beginners and relax scale flyer.

Overall this plane invoke great nostalgia to everyone who experience first hand onboard this plane, this is true among R/C community who opt for this plane because they have been there and experience it before. Its a plane with unique capability, great aesthetic looks and all capable plane that everyone around the world admired the most. As for me i'm extremely happy that i finally put my effort to build this plane because it really sparked those nostalgic moment that was lost in time. It reminds me how grateful i was to live through years exciting aviation adventure and having a sweet childhood memories in a little town with this plane on a very rural airport. dev dhc6 xl 90 STOL plane lives on! Oh btw funny facts; in my birth town its the only place where can see this plane parked along side with cars and between houses. Ironically before we crosses the road instead of watching out for speeding car on both ways we have to looked out of incoming Twin Otters! Lol! That's how small my birth town was ....long long time ago. Today in 2021 as we enter into much modern world only few handful of DHC-6 TWIN OTTER 400 series still active but their role seems to depreciate overtime since more rural town getting developed, expanded and host much bigger size airport where bigger size ATR 72-600 taking over main role of air transportation. Its been almost more than 25 years i haven't been on board a DHC-6 Twin Otter but still i able to hear the hum of 'PT6A-34' turbo fan engine from the distance during lunch time as i view through the cafe's windows pondering myself into the white cloud and blue skies....and there i was that little Twin Otter. Enjoy the plane model!

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Video

Tools used to create these custom model:

3D Modeler program: 3D Zmodeler v1.07 and v2.0 (*.OBJ support)
Compiler tools: Phoenix Builder v1.0.p
Texture editing program: Corel Photopaint

Related article & community

Here are list of article and links related to the above model.

Full gallery preview | Video preview | Download this Phoenix R/C model

*Installation instruction: How to install custom models in Phoenix R/C

*Note: This models are available for free distribution and for non-commercial purposes.
*'MASWING' is trademarks and copyright of the following company © MASwings Sdn Bhd. (https://www.maswings.com). All Rights Reserved.
*'DHC-6 Twin Otter' is trademarks and copyright of the following company © De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Ltd. (https://dehavilland.com) & © Viking Air (https://www.vikingair.com). All Rights Reserved.

De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter - Phoenix R/C simulator

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