Local Legend VIII: De Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou

Official Microsoft Flight Simulator Polls & Feedback
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Please use this thread to post your impressions and feedback about the De Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou, available now from the in-sim Marketplace for USD $14.99. You can read more about this new Local Legend here.

If you have any bugs related to this plane to report, please create a new thread in the Bug Reports & Wishlist section of the forum with the tag #havilland-dhc4caribo

Update (May 11, 2023):
Version 1.0.2 is now available from Content Manager. Please see the release notes below:

  • The hangar description now appears for all liveries and not just the default one.
  • The FWD and AFT LIMIT labels no longer overlap in the Weight and Balance screen.
  • The gust lock now prevents the ailerons from moving.
  • Cockpit quickviews left and right have been corrected.
  • The world map flight plan now carries over / loads in the GPS.
  • Direct-to waypoints now populate the GPS’s Info page.
  • The bearing pointer no longer spins 360-degrees to re-align with navaid / waypoint.
  • The GPS is now connected to bearing pointers and CDIs on the instrument panel.
  • The windows no longer flicker when viewed behind other glass in External view.
  • There should now be less difficulty starting the engines by following the Starting Engine checklist.
  • Turning on the generator have been added to the Before Taxi checklist.
  • The success condition for Throttle Engine 2 in the Run-Up checklist has been corrected.
  • Oil temp has been adjusted. It should no longer be “too high.”
  • The amount of drag produced by the flaps and landing gear have been increased.
  • The animation of the rain drops on the windscreen has been corrected.
  • The cargo net now correctly draws in front of the window in the cargo area.
  • Texture clipping on the cargo ramp with the “Blue with White and Red” livery has been fixed.
  • The break in the aircraft’s exterior texture at LOD4 has been fixed.
  • Taxi lights have been adjusted to provide some more forward visibility.
  • Cockpit lights should now be on after restarting a flight.
  • The Stall Warning Test switch now works. Moving it to either the left or right will cause the stall warning to sound.
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This looks WONDERFUL! If any of you PC users got a manual with the download, please post for us XBOXers. But I’m loving I!

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PC user looking for a manual as well. Can’t wait to get into it.

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I’m looking forward to hearing some impressions.

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look forward to seeing it working and reviewed on the Xbox

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I like it, but I’m biased having some RL memories of them from Army and Skydiving. It works for me!

Has interactive checklists, so all good there. Nice to see!
Very detailed cockpit and interior.

Only 2 issues so far:

  • Would like to be able to open the windows to hear that throaty radial roar while trundling along at low level
  • The left/right default camera views are reversed from standard ie: Left looks right and Right looks left. Don’t screw with expectations like that, please, it’s jarring!

No manual as far as I can see.
Google delivers though:

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First impressions:

The model and VC are both very high quality, but the oil pressure is constantly over the red line, and it appears the windshield heat/deice doesn’t work. There’s also a significant number of inoperative controls, but they’re for systems MSFS doesn’t model.

The flight model seems pretty accurate, but there should probably be significantly more drag at the 40 degree flap setting than is currently modeled, since that position was almost entirely drag on the actual airplane.

Aside from the lack of drag, the STOL characteristics seem pretty accurate, and the reversible propellers are modeled, and can produce some really short landings.

Sounds seem fine, but they’re nothing special.

Overall, I’d say that the Caribou needs a few small tweaks, but it’s significantly better at launch than aircraft like the Ju-52 and Fokker were, and it’s worth the $15 price point.

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After seeing it in action on the latest Developer Q&A stream, I’m quite looking forward to this one!

Such a unique plane, I don’t think there’s anything quite like it in the sim at the moment.

Yet, not a lot of people talking about it! So consider this a good old hype thread.

Thoughts?

Edit: here’s link to that stream with a neat demo from Orbx for those who haven’t seen it:

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Looking forward to it, seems like a rugged pure bred workhorse without any ambitions to win a beauty contest.

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Looking forward to its release.

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Should be fun doing a supply run to that beach shack airstrip on the NZ update.

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Or maybe some where hot and high, :wink:

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As someone who worked the Caribou in E Africa for a while back in the 60’s I am seriously excited by the introduction of the aircraft. I know and understand why some Kiwis are underwhelmed as it has no history in their country, but I will fly it there.

I would love to see every De Havilland Canada aircraft in the sim.

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That massive tail and rudder authority is going to be good fun. And the Caribou can be landed nose first, right?

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indeed…wheelbarrows were a feature!

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I’m struggling to find if the Caribou is still flying today, where and what it is doing. I like to sim realistic flights, finding a way to fly this bird in NZ is getting difficult…

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We have two in our museum at HARS, based just south of Wollongong, NSW, Aust. Both are flying.
Hars.org.au

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Thank you, that is useful information!

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The Legacy Flight Museum in Rexburg Idaho also has one.

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can’t wait!

DHC caribou doing the “wheelbarrow” - YouTube

Crazy Caribou Pilot - YouTube

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