FS2004 British United Douglas DC-3 G-AMPZ

This carefully detailed repaint for the default Douglas DC-3 in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 depicts British United’s G-AMPZ markings and reflects its usage from 1961, including flights operating into Berlin-Tempelhof. Although the original aircraft design confines certain textures to a single shared bitmap (thus mirroring logos on one side), the core color scheme faithfully represents the historic British United style. Created by Dale DeLuca, this livery maintains authentic placements where possible, providing an immersive tribute to one of Britain’s well-known post-war carriers.

Historic Airline Flair in a Classic Airframe

British United Airlines offered extensive regional and international routes during the early 1960s, and the Douglas DC-3 played a pivotal role in these operations. The real G-AMPZ embodied the airline’s push toward reliable passenger services across Europe, with Berlin-Tempelhof being a prominent destination. This repaint showcases the distinctive British United tail design, albeit reversed on one side due to texture mapping restrictions. Even with those limitations, the fuselage striping and cabin windows align closely to the real-world reference, delivering an engaging historical perspective for enthusiasts who appreciate this iconic twin-engine transport.

Important Texture Considerations

Due to default texture limitations in the DC-3 (particularly the wing BMP [bitmap file] and rudder segments), registration markings and logos cannot appear correctly on both sides. As a result, you may notice a mirrored effect on the right rudder and a lack of wing serials. Despite these constraints, all other primary markings align accurately with historical references, offering a suitable representation of the livery’s distinctive look.

Installation Process

Before proceeding, please ensure you have the freeware base model of the default DC-3 from the Fly Away Simulation mod library. This repaint does not include the entire aircraft package, only the external textures. Follow these steps to install the repaint in your simulator:

1. Unzip dc3bu.zip to a temporary folder on your system.
2. Navigate to your Flight Simulator 9/Aircraft/Douglas_DC3 directory and duplicate the folder named texture.
3. Rename the copied folder to texture.bu.
4. Locate the file Douglas_DC3_1_T.bmp provided in the download and move it into texture.bu, overwriting the existing file.
5. Create a backup of your AIRCRAFT.CFG file (found in the Douglas_DC3 folder) before editing.
6. Open AIRCRAFT.CFG with a text editor and paste the following block after your last [fltsim.xxx] entry:

[fltsim.xxx]
title=Douglas DC-3 British United
sim=Douglas_DC3
model=
panel=
sound=
texture=bu
kb_checklists=Douglas_DC3_check
kb_reference=Douglas_DC3_ref
atc_id=N90908
atc_id_color=0xffffffff
ui_manufacturer=Douglas
ui_type="DC-3"
ui_variation=British United
description=="The Douglas DC-3 revolutionized air transportation and airline service during the 1930s and 1940s. It was a luxury airliner that boasted cabin heat and running water in its on-board lavatory. With the right balance of efficiency, range, speed, and payload, the DC-3 was the first aircraft to earn a profit for its owners just by carrying passengers. The hero of early airlines, a handful of DC-3s are still at work today."

7. Save your changes in AIRCRAFT.CFG. Launch Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004, and the British United DC-3 repaint will appear in the selection menu.

This repaint preserves the spirit of British United’s service era and recalls the capabilities of an airliner that revolutionized early commercial aviation. Despite texture mapping constraints, it remains a faithful tribute to G-AMPZ’s historical presence in British United’s fleet.