Looking for ideas for an add-on plane for my fleet...

[Kennyfly]

You might consider a C-46 Commando...it's sort of a C-47 with a pressurized cabin...

That's a pretty cool option. I'll have to look and see if I can find a sim version of the Commando. After reading your suggestion, I did a Google search and found some information on the plane on Wikipedia. Basically it does seem like a larger, more powerful, pressurized-cabin version of the C-47, but it seems like during the war years it was plagued with some problems due to a hastily-designed fuel storage and delivery system.

[Kennyfly]

Until / unless someone makes a C-46 Commando for the sim (I looked through several third party sites and the Pilot Shop and couldn't find one), I have downloaded the DHC-4 / C-7 Caribou. I like it because in range and capacity it's fairly similar to the DC-3, but it has updated avionics and more gadgets to play with.

Unfortunately, it seems that the Caribou download I found doesn't have a window for the throttle quadrant, which means that while you can use the keyboard to change the fuel mixture, you don't have a graphic of the levers that you can point to for a tooltip readout of what the current mixture rate is. In playing around with the DC-3 model, I found after a while that I could almost always anticipate the correct mixture for a given altitude and adjust the levers accordingly before either hearing the engines start to struggle or seeing that little message about losing power because the mixture isn't leaned properly.

[Beechbum1]

Not sure if this is suppose to be the airport Lukla ( FSX default: Lukla, Nepal VNLK ) that was mentioned in "simmerdr's " post, if so then it sure wasn't modeled the same as the Youtube in "simmerdr's" post but it sure is high enough and surrounded by Mt.'s.

No one mentioned the FSX default Cessna Caravan which can carry 14 people, Carry's about 335 gallons of fuel, can climb about 22,800 ft. Weighs 4,575 lbs. empty. Max weight 8,785 lbs. Useful load 4,000 lb. Very rugged plane and that nose wheel can really take a beating on rough landing strips.
Now this small 10,000 ft elevation airport only has 1616 ft. of runway but the Cessna caravan ( figured I'd need an ambulance LOL judging those Mt's. ) rated at 2,500 ft rw. I used F8 ( full flaps ) and held the brake until they would not hold at full throttle ( Also full payload and fuel ) let her rip down the runway.......






........then when the wheels were off the ground I climbed 1000 ft per minute and banking hard to the left. All most plowing another mountain ( place is surrounded by those mighty giants ) still climbing at 1000 ft per minute I banked her again this time to the right trying to get in a valley..........



Got into the valley and was now at only 13,300ft ( gulp those Mt's. ahead are over 21,000 ft and I can't get any more climb out of her which is now about 101 KIAS and 13,330 ft.



Nope not going to make it for I'm at at 20,295 ft, 75 KIAS and that mt. ahead is at least another 800 ft or so high. OHhh no.......................



Yeah maybe you better take another plane if you go this route.

OH yeah I forgot to mention, I don't have a pilots licence but I'm sure you couldn't tell.

Have fun flying whatever plane you decide on.

[simmerdr]

Beechbum:

Daring takeoff attempt, indeed, with the Caravan....at least you tried this in the virtual world........I haven't...

Please note, however, that at the actual Lukla Airport takeoff is only along RWY 24, and landing is only along RWY 06...

So, you are lined up along the wrong direction for takeoff......, but, you are not to blame...... From the default FSX scenery rendition, one really cannot tell the one end of the RWY view from the other!

There is actually an insurmountable mountain wall at the end of RWY 06, the reason for no go-around chance (consistent w/ your shot). The 12 deg incline along RWY 24 also helps w/ gathering speed quickly on this notoriously short RWY (~1500' vs. 1600' that you have stated...so just about right)...

Please take a look at image numbers 4/7 and 6/7 of the Aerosoft Lukla - X add-on below for their RWY scenery, which seems pretty close to what it must be in real life. I haven't tried this add-on.

http://www.fspilotshop.com/product_i...oducts_id=1447

Anyway, thanks for sharing the images with FSX default Caravan!

[mbish01]

Kennyfly--there is a C-46 here in the f/l. Try a search for Buffalo Airways-that's the one I got here.
Buffalo is the airline featured in the TV show "Ice Pilots"--if you want to see SERIOUS bush flying!!

Mike

[simmerdr]

I have seen a couple of episodes of Ice Pilots on the Discovery Channel...Yes, Mike, truly fascinating bush flying footage!

I read an article about Buffalo Airways Virtual Airline based on this real Buffalo Airways. By becoming a member of this virtual airline, one can download all their (virtual) aircraft for free, I think....including their C-46....

[Kennyfly]

Kennyfly--there is a C-46 here in the f/l. Try a search for Buffalo Airways-that's the one I got here.
Buffalo is the airline featured in the TV show "Ice Pilots"--if you want to see SERIOUS bush flying!!

Mike

Thanks for the tip, Mike. I will have to download that plane tonight and start playing around with it during the long holiday weekend that starts tomorrow...

[FraisLive]

Great suggestions everyone. So far the DHC-4 looks like the one that fits the specs I was looking for the best in terms of matching capacity and range. Lots of neat planes suggested, for sure.

Sherm, someone in another thread pointed me to the dc3airways site when I was trying to figure out what the prop settings in the SIM are useful for, since it seems in the real world they're used more for limiting the mechanical stress on the engines than anything else, which would certainly be an important consideration. I had been expecting them to vary the pitch as well as the speed of the props for better flight performance at higher altitudes in thinner air, but since the plane isn't pressurized that doesn't seem to really have been part of the design. I'll have to take another closer look at the site to see what all it has to offer.

Thanks again everyone for the aircraft suggestions, and feel free to add more if you think of them. For this little re-creation there's a part of me that's kinda partial to just imagining a DC-3 refit with turboprops that can operate at higher altitudes and a pressurized airframe that would let it fly as high as the engines can take it. In the real world, I'm sure that would probably mean practically rebuilding the entire airframe from the ground up, and that would make it something other than a DC-3, but since this is only a sim, I guess I don't have to worry about quite that much realism... After all, if Hollywood can build a movie franchise around a Camaro that turns into a giant robot, I suppose pressurizing the cabin of a DC-3 isn't all that far-fetched of an idea...

I would recommend a Cessna C208. You can't get 16 people in there though

Mabey take a look at the DHC Twin Otter

Hope I helped....

-Tyler

[shermank]

You were looking for a DC3 turbo...this is now in the flightsim file library....have not downloaded or flown it yet...will do so as soon as I finish this post....

basler_bt67.zip

Sherm