N8BA callsign “Navy 8” is a DC-6B painted like the iconic Blue Angels R5D-2/3 Transporter from 1959. The R5D-2/3 was the Naval version of the commercial airline DC-4, the military versions were C-54’s. The R5D-2/3 served as the United States Navy Blue Angels Transporter for the F-9F8 Cougar and F-11F-1 Tiger from 1956 until 1968 when it was replaced by the C-121.
The Blue Angels transport aircraft were assigned to NAS Pensacola operations and loaned to the team until they received their first fully dedicated transporter, Fat Albert in 1974. The first R5D (C-54P) to be painted in the Blue Angels colors was BuNO: 50868 in 1959. Prior to this, the aircraft were the standard Navy transport colors of white top and gray bottom. The aircraft would later have the #8 painted on the tail as the maintenance officer at the time was designated #8 and was one of the Blue Angels pilots. Pilots #1 - 6 are the demonstration pilots and #7 was the narrator/ PIO officer and #8 the Maintenance Officer. Its call sign was Navy 8 because of this as he was one of the pilots that flew the aircraft from site to site. The other pilot and crew were assigned to NAS Pensacola Operations and a lot of times was the designated Plane Commander.
I created this livery on behalf of the Virtual Blue Angels team. The Virtual Blue Angels were formed in January of 2004, and have been going strong ever since. It has been checked by the team and approved for public release. There are slight deviations from the original livery to make the DC-4 livery fit the DC-6 but is as close to the original as possible. (and yes, the ailerons and elevators were not painted on the original aircraft. :-) could not find a reference why.
I am therefore very pleased to be able to make it available here today exclusively for anyone interested on behalf of the Virtual Blue Angels. No aviation enthusiast should ever miss this teams breathtaking shows. The Virtual Blue Angels are a group of enthusiastic flight simulation pilots who strive to be the best of the best among the flight sim community. They fly the F-18C Hornet and now F-18E Super Hornet in DCS World and regularly broadcast live on Twitch and are the absolute highlight of every virtual air show. They aim to emulate the dedication and professionalism of the real Blue Angels through their videos, screenshots, and live shows.
For more information about the Virtual Blue Angels, check out their Facebook at www.facebook.com/virtualblueangels
A link to their videos can be found at https://vimeo.com/user130089655
-------------------------------------------------------------
Version 1.7-SU11
The zip-file contains 3 folders:
- DC-6 performance files for LNM and SimBrief
- Livery as ptp-file
- Livery as Drag&Drop folder
- A text file with a Quick Tutorial for the Drag&Drop method
Please DO NOT upload my files anywhere else!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Quick tutorial
Removing a livery:
If you still have liveries installed in the (old) PMDG main DC6 folder:
Step 1: remove the respective livery folder (...Community > pmdg-aircraft-dc6 > SimObjects > Airplanes > PMDG DC-6A resp. PMDG DC-6B)
Step 2: delete the entry of the respective livery in the aircraft.cfg file located in the same folder by using an editor like "Notepad++".
Step 3: Adjust the [fltsim.X] order numbers accordingly if there are still other liveries installed.
Remark: Liveries which are in the (old) PMDG main DC6 folder do still work but won't be shown in the PMDG Ops Center livery overview. Hence I would recommend to move them into the new PMDG livery folder as described below.
Liveries which are installed in both folders will cause issues!
(Re-)Installing a livery via PMDG Ops Center:
Step 1: unzip the file you downloaded
Step 2: run PMDG Ops Center and open "Livery utilities" in the "Aircraft and Liveries" tab
Step 3: click "Install from PTP file" in the lower left corner, locate and install the downloaded ptp-file
Step 4: as soon as you see the "Sucessfully installed" message, click OK and you are good to go
(Re-)Installing a livery by using the Drag&Drop method:
Step 1: unzip the file you downloaded
Step 2: copy/paste or move the folder you got into "pmdg-aircraft-dc6-liveries > SimOjects > Airplanes"
Step 3: update the layout.json file, located in "...Community > pmdg-aircraft-dc6-liveries" either manually
or - which I highly recommend - by using the MSFSLayoutGenerator (v1.1.0) created by HughesMDflyer4, available for free on Github. After you installed this tiny program just drag the layout.json file, located in "...Community > pmdg-aircraft-dc6-liveries" onto the MSFSLayoutGenerator.exe icon and your new livery will be added in just a second.
Note: You will not see or be able to select a newly installed livery in the thumbnail bar at the bottom of the DC-6 window unless you updated the layout.json file. Liveries which have been installed via Drag&Drop are not being listed in the PMDG Ops Center - Livery Utilities - window.
If you remove a livery which was installed via Drag&Drop you also have to update the layout.json file.
Use the MSFSLayoutGenerator again as described above.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
If you run into any issues, feel free to post a comment. I will reply as soon as possible.
Have a nice flight!
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Don't miss out on my other liveries!
#1 - VR-BBQ
#2 - G-APSA
#3 - G-APON
#4 - British Eagle/Cunard Eagle Family Pack
#5 - FBW - A32NX - D-AIPL "Ludwigshafen"
.
Fantastic livery for my favorite aircraft! Very well done - thank you! When I first installed it, I had the pink texture problem, but there's a fix described in the Everts Blue Canoe livery where you have to update the texture file. Follow those instructions if your Blue Angels DC-6 is pink. Highly recommend this livery!
2 years ago
DavidG_NJ
why is it a ptp file
2 years ago
because PMDG recommends ptp files for their products
2 years ago
BenBlinding
Balistic
Awesome livery, thanks...
2 years ago
SerenaFrank
Very nice. Thank you for sharing that. Love the color scheme.
2 years ago
fcmusician
Great Job!
2 years ago
Gorlow
Thank you
2 years ago
JetRanger3